Asayish Deny Ceasefire Claims as Shelling Continues in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud

SOHR

Khalid Fajir Hospital.

The Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in Aleppo have issued a statement rejecting claims made by the Syrian Interim Government’s Ministry of Defence that attacks on the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood have ceased and that Asayish forces are present inside Martyr Khaled Fajr Hospital.

The Asayish in Sheikh Maqsoud described these allegations as unfounded, stressing that artillery bombardment and drone strikes are continuing. They stated that the hospital is sheltering only civilians and wounded individuals — including women, children and the elderly — and contains no military presence whatsoever.

The Internal Security Forces called on independent humanitarian and human rights organisations to visit the hospital and verify the situation on the ground. They warned that such claims appear intended to legitimise the targeting of the hospital and the commission of crimes against civilians.

Earlier on Saturday, 10 January 2026, the Syrian Arab Army’s Operations Command announced a halt to all military activity in the Sheikh Maqsoud district of Aleppo, effective from 1:00 pm. A spokesperson said that SDF fighters allegedly inside Yassin Hospital would be transferred to the city of Tabqa along with their weapons.

She added that the army would begin handing over health and government facilities to state institutions and would gradually withdraw from the streets of Sheikh Maqsoud.

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces reported ongoing shelling and direct attacks on residential areas in the neighbourhood, announcing that a drone had been shot down as part of their response to the attacks.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the area surrounding Khaled Fajr Hospital was subjected to intense shelling while the facility was crowded with civilians and wounded people who had sought refuge from indiscriminate bombardment of residential districts.

Those trapped inside the hospital have issued urgent appeals to the relevant authorities, calling for an immediate cessation of shelling and an end to the targeting of medical facilities and civilians, citing the imminent threat to their lives. SOHR also reported that forces aligned with the interim government prevented ambulances from entering Sheikh Maqsoud to evacuate the wounded, heightening fears of an escalating humanitarian disaster. Continuous indiscriminate shelling has reportedly caused civilian casualties, widespread destruction of homes and public and private property, and the burning of residential houses and civilian vehicles.

Residents of the neighbourhood are said to be living in a state of extreme fear and panic amid repeated attacks and the absence of any safe evacuation routes. Civilians remain trapped under bombardment as humanitarian and living conditions rapidly deteriorate.


PUKMEDIA