Reactionary regimes paved the way for disaster
The attacks by jihadist gangs in Halep have entered their third day. As civilians continue to flee, the attacks show how ethnic-sectarian regimes imposed by the US and Israel have paved the way for disasters.
Politics Service
While the SDG-Şam integration talks conducted under US supervision in Suriye have failed to yield results, the HTŞ administration’s attacks on Kurdish neighbourhoods in Halep have now entered their third day. In the Şeyh Maksud, Eşrefiye and Beni Zeyd neighbourhoods, which the jihadist administration has declared “legitimate targets”, civilians on the front line continue to flee. Halep Internal Security Forces (Asayiş), formed by Kurdish forces, said casualties have risen due to the uninterrupted bombardment.
Asayiş said that Şam has deployed hundreds of armed militiamen to the area, including foreign elements, and that these groups have targeted civilians with artillery, rockets, tanks and drones. It was stated that the besieged neighbourhoods have been subjected to collective punishment policies such as cutting electricity and blocking the entry of food and medical supplies. The statement said, “What is happening in Şeyh Maksud and Eşrefiye is an organised and bloody operation carried out under the shadow of official incitement. The attacks directly target civilians and aim to drive the population into ‘forced displacement’.” The Christian Coalition also announced that 1,200 Ezidi families living in the neighbourhoods are facing the risk of “ethnic cleansing” under siege and bombardment.
DECLARATION OF WAR
The Halep Governorate announced that “two humanitarian corridors” would be opened between 10.00 and 13.00 to evacuate civilians from the Şeyh Maksud and Eşrefiye neighbourhoods. Yesterday, all schools and public institutions in the city also remained closed. Şam forces announced a “full-scale war” against security points in the Kurdish neighbourhoods. They said SDG positions in Şeyh Maksud and Eşrefiye are now direct military targets. The jihadist administration in Şam accused SDG of acting contrary to the 1 April agreement. In the statement, which claimed that Kurds removed from the area were being sent to “areas under direct state control”, the attacks were defended as being aimed at “ensuring security”.
“ANKARA IS READY”
Türkiye backed the attacks by the Colani (Ahmet Eş Şara) administration, saying “Suriye’s security is our security”. The Ministry of National Defence said, “If Suriye requests assistance, Türkiye will provide the necessary support.”
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held SDG responsible, accusing it of “acting in coordination with Israel” in relation to the clashes. Fidan claimed that the operation in Halep was the result of SDG’s time-buying attitude.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote in a post, “The international community owes a debt of honour to the Kurds who fought bravely and successfully against IŞİD. Systematic and ruthless oppression of various minorities in Suriye contradicts the promise of a ‘new Suriye’.”
The Kurdish Administration in Rojava said that in the meeting in Şam on 4 January between SDG Commander-in-Chief Mazlum Abdi and Şam Defence Minister Murhaf Ebu Kasra, the HTŞ administration did not allow fuel to enter to ease the humanitarian crisis in the neighbourhoods and decided to maintain the siege. After the Şam meeting, the Colani administration said its forces had been targeted in Halep and attacks on Şeyh Maksud and Eşrefiye began on the evening of 6 January.
Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Mesrur Barzani, saying the clashes “deeply concerned” them, stated that the attacks were carried out to change the demographic structure of the region. In a statement from KCK, it was said, “The attacks in Halep are an attempt to sabotage a reasonable solution.”
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN HALEP?
After jihadists within HTŞ, backed by the US, Israel, Türkiye and Gulf Arab regimes, toppled Esad on 8 December 2024 and took over Suriye, clashes then broke out between Kurds and Şam. The clashes stopped after US intervention, and an agreement was signed between SDG and Şam on 10 March 2025. Under the agreement, in return for the acceptance of Kurds’ constitutional rights, SDG would be integrated into the Şam army. On 1 April, an agreement was signed in Halep between Kurdish forces and the HTŞ administration. Under the agreement, SDG withdrew from the city and Kurdish Asayiş forces took control. Although small-scale clashes have occurred from time to time between SDG and HTŞ, which controls a third of Suriye, “integration” talks continued. On 6 January, the two sides confronted each other in Halep.
THE ATTACKS MUST BE STOPPED
• DEM Party: Türkiye should play no role in Suriye other than a constructive one. It should encourage dialogue. The attacks by the Şam administration must stop immediately. “200,000 people are under siege.”
• LEFT Party: The attacks targeting the Kurdish people in Halep and the massacres against Alevis that have continued for months once again show that the biggest threat to the freedom of peoples in Suriye is jihadist gangs. The attacks by jihadist gangs also show how ethnic-sectarian regimes imposed on the region and on our country by the US and Israel will open the door to disasters.
• TİP: HTŞ launching a military operation is an attack both on the existence of the Kurdish people and on the security and peace of all the peoples of Suriye.
• EMEP: HTŞ attacks on Kurdish neighbourhoods in Halep are part of the war jihadist gangs are waging against peoples. The attacks targeting the Kurdish people are a continuation of the attacks carried out against Alevis and Dürzis.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Felaketin kapısını gerici rejimler açtı, published in BirGün newspaper on January , 2026.
