Barjam Judi

 

Kobani – From January 6th to the present day, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants have committed horrific massacres against hundreds of children and women in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo. These massacres, carried out openly, included the bombing of hospitals and the killing of medical personnel and others – acts that clearly constitute war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law.

 

HTS militants, representing the Syrian Interim Government, have committed these grave violations in full view of the world. They have also detained dozens of residents in the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, where they are subjected to killing, humiliation, and abduction. In this context, Avin Khalil, a doctor at the health center in the Mishtanour neighborhood of Kobani, expressed her condemnation of the massacres committed against civilians, emphasizing that her stance reflects her humanitarian and professional commitment to confronting these violations.

 

"Unity and resistance were the essence of the battle."

 

She emphasized that the resistance of the residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh embodied the highest ideals of unity and steadfastness. "Unity and resistance were the essence of the battle. Seven days of hardship and challenges, the details of which we could recount day by day, given the momentous events that unfolded in the two neighborhoods, which witnessed exceptional resistance. Civilians, medical personnel, journalists, and Asayish forces, armed with their personal weapons, stood shoulder to shoulder against an enemy possessing thousands of fighters, tanks, drones, and the latest heavy weaponry."

 

Regarding the targeting of hospitals, she explained that the attacks launched by armed groups were extremely brutal, leading to chaos and horrific massacres. "The brutality of these attacks reached the point of directly bombing and besieging hospitals to prevent the wounded from reaching them, and even to deny those inside the hospitals the right to move to safer locations." She praised the immense courage shown by the medical staff in performing their duties at Othman and Khaled Fajr Hospitals despite the harsh conditions. "The hospitals were completely destroyed, and many doctors and healthcare workers were brutally murdered."

 

Aveen Khalil also addressed the crimes committed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists in Aleppo, stating that they "clearly constitute war crimes. The brutal attacks targeting the Kurdish people in Aleppo, and previously the Alawite and Druze communities, reveal an extremist, racist mentality no different from that of ISIS, as we witnessed previously during their attacks on Kobani. Therefore, these groups cannot be considered part of the Syrian army, which is supposed to protect its people; rather, they are an extension of ISIS seeking to eliminate and exterminate the various components of Syrian society." She emphasized that "all these acts are documented as war crimes in international conventions and laws issued by the United Nations and international human rights organizations."

 

She expressed her feelings towards the resistance waged by the people of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, saying, "As a woman and a doctor, I feel great pride and honor in the heroic resistance embodied by our people and our fighters. We witnessed, until the last moments, unparalleled steadfastness, reaching the point of carrying out suicide operations. These days were a testament to sacrifice and victory, and proved that the will and steadfastness that emerged in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh are proof that the Kurdish people will always remain proud."