Republican senator condemns alleged Syrian army abuses as ceasefire follows Aleppo fighting

The president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pressed the Syrian authorities to clasp perpetrators accountable amid accusations of sedate quality rights violations wrong Syria’s service during the seizure of 2 Kurdish neighborhoods successful Aleppo. Some reports assertion jihadist-aligned members of the service were liable for the abuses. 

Jim Risch, R-Idaho., wrote connected Tuesday connected X that "I americium gravely acrophobic astir the behaviour of equipped forces successful Aleppo, Syria, implicit the past week and impulse the authorities to clasp accountable those who committed these egregious acts. After years of war, the relation of Syria’s caller authorities and equipped forces is to safeguard the inherent rights of its citizens, not to infringe upon them."

Risch responded to an X Post from the Syrian Network condemning the desecration of a woman's assemblage successful Aleppo, wherever it was thrown from a precocious level by a subordinate of the Syrian Army.

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Columns of fume emergence from the tract of artillery shelling that targeted the country adjacent Aleppo's Abdelrahman Mosque connected Jan. 8, 2026, amid aggravated clashes betwixt authorities forces and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces. Syria's subject warned civilians successful 2 besieged Kurdish neighborhoods successful the metropolis of Aleppo to permission connected Dec. 8, arsenic it prepared to behaviour a caller question of strikes targeting Kurdish positions. Thousands person already fled the country pursuing clashes betwixt the service and Kurdish-led forces that person killed much than a twelve people. (Omar Haj Kadour / AFP via Getty Images)

After days of aggravated clashes, Syrian service forces controlled by the erstwhile U.S. designated terrorist Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was antecedently a subordinate of the violent movements al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, seized 2 neighborhoods (Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh) connected Sunday successful the metropolis of Aleppo, wherever members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, oregon SDF were based.

The SDF played a captious relation successful aiding U.S. forces to decision the Islamic State successful Syria.

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Mazloum Abdi, the person of the SDF wrote connected X that an statement via planetary mediation had cemented the evacuation of Syrian Kurds from the 2 districts successful Aleppo.

Abdi wrote that, "With mediation by planetary parties to halt the attacks and violations against our radical successful Aleppo, we person reached an knowing that leads to a ceasefire and ensures the evacuation of the martyrs, wounded, stranded civilians and fighters from the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods [in bluish Aleppo] to North and East Syria [Rojava]," according to the Kurdish quality enactment Rudaw. 

The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who besides serves arsenic the Special Envoy for Syria, wrote connected X connected Saturday aft the Aleppo ceasefire statement was seemingly reached, that helium met with President "al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their squad successful Damascus to sermon caller developments successful Aleppo and the broader way guardant for Syria’s historical transition."

Soldiers of the Syrian service successful the entranceway of Sheik Maksoud vicinity during continuing warring betwixt the Syrian forces and the SDF connected Jan. 10, 2026 successful Aleppo, Syria. A ceasefire announced yesterday did not instrumentality clasp arsenic warring continued betwixt the Syrian service and Kurdish fighters successful the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo. Overnight, the service announced that it had completed a information expanse of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.  (Adri Salido/Getty Image)

He added ,"The Syrian authorities has reaffirmed its committedness to the March 2025 integration statement with the SDF, which provides a model for incorporating SDF forces into nationalist institutions successful a mode that preserves Kurdish rights and strengthens Syria’s unity and sovereignty."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Kurdish studies expert, told Fox News Digital that Kurds fishy that Turkey is pushing Damascus to propulsion retired Kurdish forces from Aleppo to springiness a large stroke to the SDF truthful that they volition marque much concessions to Damascus and marque the Kurdish dialog presumption weaker. 

"Ankara wants the SDF to integrate into the Syrian service connected an idiosyncratic basis, not arsenic abstracted divisions," van Wilgenburg said. "Moreover, the SDF wants a decentralized system, portion Damascus wants a centralized system. The Kurds person decided to marque a basal successful Aleppo. The existent concern could spark a wide struggle that could undermine Trump’s argumentation of creating sustainable bid successful the Middle East."

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Tom Barrack met with the Syrian president connected behalf of the United States connected Saturday, Jan 10, 2025 (@USAMBTurkiye via X)

The Aleppo wellness directorate said astatine slightest 24 civilians were killed and much than 120 radical were injured during 5 days of clashes.

The authorities of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan views the Syrian Kurds arsenic a menace to Turkey due to the fact that galore Kurdish organizations crossed the portion question an autarkic authorities that would see a portion of Turkey, wherever determination is simply a ample Kurdish population. Erdogan has implicit the years launched devastating attacks connected the Kurds successful bluish Syrian.

Retired four-star Army wide Jack Keane previously told Fox News' Mark Levin connected "Life, Liberty & Levin" that President Trump during his archetypal word was capable to halt Erdogan’s attacks connected the Syrian Kurds. 

The General Command of the SDF issued a connection past week, stating "We pass that the continuation of this aggression against civilians volition pb to superior repercussions that volition not beryllium constricted to Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh oregon to the metropolis of Aleppo alone, but volition hazard plunging each of Syria backmost into an unfastened battlefield. Full work for this volition remainder with those who persist successful choosing the usage of unit against civilians."

Al-Sharaa‘s regularisation implicit the past twelvemonth has seen extremist Islamist forces aligned with his service prosecute successful massacres of a scope of Syrian number groups, from Alawites to the Druze. Radical Islamists person besides murdered Syrian Christians.

Sinam Mohamad, the typical of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., told Fox News Digital that a "decentralized strategy volition prevention Syria from immoderate oregon struggle successful the future." She said "We regret overseas influence" successful Syria, noting that "Turkey inactive has power connected Damascus." She said that Turkey seeks to "provoke" successful Syria, citing the caller attacks successful Aleppo.

Rebel forces seized Mengh Airbase and the metropolis of Tel Rifaat successful the Aleppo countryside connected Dec. 1, 2024, pursuing clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian authorities forces. (Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Mohammad said the Syrian Kurds person a "negotiating committee to sermon the autonomous authorities successful northeastern Syria. We besides person women units successful the SDF who person been warring against ISIS." She asked what is the "future of women successful the army" successful Syria?  "Damascus does not privation women units successful the army. In Israel, they person women successful the army."

She said this portion of the negotiations with al-Sharaa’s authorities with respect to the March 2025 statement reached betwixt the SDF and the Syrian regime.

Van Wilgenburg said, "The clashes began aft the latest negotiations betwixt the Kurds and Damascus implicit the implementation of the March 10 statement did not nutrient immoderate results. Damascus earlier verbally agreed connected 3 SDF divisions, but determination were remaining discussions and antithetic presumption points implicit bid and control. The past gathering took spot connected Jan. 4 successful Damascus."

FILE: Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), meets with the Raqa civilian assembly successful Syria's northeastern metropolis of Hasakeh connected Nov. 1, 2020.  (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the SDF, "the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh person been nether implicit siege by factions of the Damascus authorities for much than six months. These neighborhoods bash not, nether immoderate circumstances, represent a subject threat, nor tin they service arsenic a launching constituent for immoderate onslaught connected the metropolis of Aleppo."

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The connection added that, "The allegations promoted by bloodthirsty circles wrong Damascus-affiliated factions, claiming the beingness of intent oregon subject question by our forces from these neighborhoods, are mendacious and fabricated. They are utilized arsenic a pretext to warrant the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians."

Fox News Digital reached retired galore times to the spokesperson for Turkey’s embassy successful Washington D.C. arsenic good arsenic the U.S. State Department.