Seven Civilians, Including Women and Children, Killed in Syrian Army Bombardment

North Press Agency

People who were killed and injured in the Syrian army's bombardment.

Seven civilians were killed in bombardment by Syrian government forces in northern Syria on Saturday, in the Deir Hafer area where clashes had erupted with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Five women and two children were killed in the village of Umm Tina in the Deir Hafer area of Aleppo province in strikes carried out “by Syrian army personnel,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The Deir Hafer area lies along the front lines between the Syrian army and the SDF, where periodic clashes occur, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said it was the worst death toll in northern Syria in months.

Earlier Saturday, the Observatory reported “armed clashes involving drones and heavy weapons” after the Syrian army targeted SDF positions in the area.

The US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF condemned the attack in a statement:

“We strongly condemn this heinous crime, which reflects the systematic policy pursued by these factions for years to deliberately target innocent civilians. We reaffirm that the absence of accountability has only emboldened the perpetrators to repeat such grave violations.”

It also said that the attack began with drone strikes, followed by heavy artillery shelling at approximately 7:00 p.m., deliberately targeting civilian homes.

The SDF also confirmed that seven civilians, including two children, were killed. The victims were identified as:

Amina Mohammed al-Azzawi (75)

Fatima Hayya Obeid (65)

Amina Mohammed al-Hamzeh (22)

Aysha Hamzeh Obeid (18)

Hamzeh Obeid al-Razzaq (4)

Abdel Ghani Rahman al-Obeid (1)

Rahaf Hussein al-Azzawi (23)

The wounded were named as Jomaa Hamoud al-Moheisen (60), Mariam Hamoud al-Moheisen (55), Halima Mahmoud al-Moheisen (65), and Amina Hamoud al-Amoura (20).

The Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), which governs much of the north and northeast with the SDF as its de facto army, also condemned the attack. They said Damascus-linked factions carried out a drone strike followed by artillery shelling on residential houses in Umm Tina around 7 p.m. on 20 September.

The Asayish described the attack as a “brutal massacre” aimed at breaking the will of the local population and spreading fear among civilians. It stressed that “these violations will not go unpunished” and urged the international community to assume responsibility for protecting Syrians.

The AANES said the strike reflected a “continued hostile policy” against the people of the region, coming at a time when Syria urgently needs joint efforts to build stability and peace. It called for accountability, an end to impunity, and extended condolences to the victims’ families.

The attack comes against the backdrop of stalled negotiations between Damascus and the SDF. Earlier this year, both sides reached a preliminary deal on integrating the Kurdish administration’s institutions into the central government. But differences between the two sides have held up implementation, and the Kurds have called for decentralisation, which Damascus has rejected.

The SDF, backed by the US-led coalition, played a leading role in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), culminating in the terrorist group’s territorial defeat in 2019.



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