Update December 7-9: North and East Syria

Highlights

-Shehba’s IDPs face severe lack of basic goods, shelter and services as they slowly move from Tabqa into other regions of NES.

-Turkey and the SNA launch offensive on SDF-held Manbij; heavy clashes between the SNA and Manbij Military Council are ongoing.

-Turkish drone strikes and SNA shelling on Kobane, Tel Tamir and Ayn Issa kill 15 civilians (including 6 children) and injure 5.

-Celebrations for the fall of Assad occur across NES.

Humanitarian disaster for Shehba’s IDPs

.At least 100,000 Shehba residents, forcibly displaced following the Turkish-backed SNA’s assault on Shehba, have reached North and East Syria (NES).

-So far, most have stayed in Tabqa, but they are slowly dispersing across the region, assisted by the DAANES. Crisis teams in cities across NES have been mobilized in order to accommodate and provide aid to the IDPs.

-The Shehba-Afrin Canton co-chair, Mohammed Sheikho, tells RIC that the ‘rescue convoys’ sent to retrieve those trapped in Shehba were partially successful in bringing IDPs to safety.

“The situation remains [serious]. Most IDPs remain outside. Houses are not to be found. They are spread through Tabqa and the surrounding villages. We lack blankets, ways to keep warm, heaters, bread, food. 700 people who were reportedly stuck in Tel Rifaat were liberated and could reach the Autonomous Administration regions, but there are many more who were detained, whose fate is unknown until now. Some of those who returned to Afrin city have also been detained. Here [in NES] too, displaced people are in a condition of chaos; it’s a new region for them, they don’t know where to go. Now there are grave threats facing Manbij, and the people are terrified in the face of the air strikes. They don’t know what will happen next.”

An Afrin local who had been living in the Serdem IDP camp in Shehba since 2018 told RIC:

“There are families we still don’t have any information about: we do not know if they are alive or dead. I was surrounded by four cars affiliated to the SNA and I hardly survived. When we were in the group of displaced people, the SNA kept swearing at us. One of them knew how to speak Kurdish and he was telling us to keep going and not stop. We were terrified. We couldn’t do anything. They were threatening to kill our children and disrespecting us. We don’t want anything; we just want to go back to our houses in Afrin. It has been seven years since we were displaced from Afrin and I didn’t taste the olives anywhere else. We have seen everything; it is like an epic; they sent those people to us who are killing, slaughtering. A man told me that they slaughtered his wife in front of him. I have been looking for my family for two days and I don’t know where they are. When we left Shehba, we were terrified.”

Shehba IDP in Tabqa, December 9 [RIC]

Aleppo city’s encircled Kurdish neighborhoods, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh

-At a press conference, SDF Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abi, stated that the SDF was in talks with HTS regarding Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh – the two Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of Aleppo administratively connected to the DAANES.

-There has been no further news regarding the outcome of these talks, however the situation inside Aleppo city has been calm.

“There are no clashes between HTS and the local defence forces in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh. But there is no official route open in or out of either neighborhood. There remain problems with water and electricity, a lack of flour. But there has been no shooting for 3 or 4 days. We don’t know if this will be a permanent or only temporary peace. People are afraid to leave the neighbourhood in case they’re detained for their Kurdish identity.” – Hamude, media activist in Sheikh Maqsoud

Turkish and SNA Offensive on Manbij 

-The SNA’s offensive on Manbij has now been underway for three days, with Turkey and the SNA currently conducting attacks in an effort to seize the canton.

-The Manbij Military Council, al-Bab Military Council and the Kurdish Front – all of which are under the umbrella of the SDF – are defending the area.

-While the SNA are attacking on the ground, Turkey is providing aerial coverage with drone strikes and warplane strikes – including one on the DAANES building in Manbij city.

-The SDF report that “fierce clashes” are ongoing, reaching inside the city itself.

-A local journalist in Manbij told RIC:

“Fighting is continuing between the MMC, and the Turkish-backed SNA. The SNA wanted to profit from the fall of the Ba’ath regime, and occupy the city once again. There were sleeper cells within the city who staged attacks. The MMC and internal security forces responded. The initial attacks were pushed back, but SNA fighters spread throughout several neighbourhoods. Today, fighting continues, including in the surrounding villages, and meanwhile Turkey is launching airstrikes. Yesterday they targeted the Manbij Council office where we (press) had been only an hour or two before. Drones are also striking the Manbij countryside. Heavy weapons are targeting the city centre too. Fierce fighting is continuing today, with the aim of occupying the city.”

Manbij map, December 9 [RIC]

-In Kobane, a funeral was held for three members of the Asayish, who were killed when Turkey bombed Qereqozax bridge.

-The Kurdish Red Crescent released a statement describing an unfolding “humanitarian disaster” in NES, with the SNA’s attack on Manbij “exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis that surpasses the capacity of organizations operating in northeast Syria. The attacks targeted infrastructure and health facilities, resulting in the destruction of some and rendering them out of service, while many humanitarian workers were forced to leave the Manbij area.”

 

Turkish and SNA strikes leave civilian casualties in NES

-A Turkish drone strike on Mustariha village, Ayn Issa, killed 12 civilians, including 6 children.

-Two separate drone strikes near Zirgan killed 1 civilian and injured 5.

-Turkish/SNA shelling near Kobane killed two children.

-The SDF reported that they shot down a Turkish drone near Tel Tamir on December 9.

 

Celebrations for the Fall of Assad Across NES

-On December 7, people took to the streets across Syria, celebrating the fall of Assad, including in NES.

-In Qamishlo and Heseke cities, the small ‘security square’ pockets of GoS control were opened and several Assad statues were toppled by the cities’ residents.

-The Syrian Democratic Council – an assembly of parties and organizations seeking to build a political framework for sustainable and comprehensive democratic change in Syria based on a decentralized and inclusive system – stated:

“We all have a crucial opportunity to reconstruct our nation, draft a constitution that embodies the aspirations of our people, and pursue transitional justice to address past injustices. We will collaborate with all Syrian national, cultural, and societal powers through engaging in the national dialogue and assuming our responsibility to establish a new Syria that is inclusive of all its citizens.”

-The SDF’s Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, stated:

“We are living through historic moments as we witness the fall of the authoritarian regime in Damascus. This change is an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice that guarantees the rights of all Syrians.”

-In a December 9 statement, the DAANES declared:

“While the fall of the Ba’ath regime in Damascus brought joy to many, there are genuine fears among the Syrian people about the resurgence of fighting in parts of Syria.”

The DAANES then called for the “urgent launch of an initiative aimed at a comprehensive ceasefire across all Syrian territories, under the auspices of the United Nations. We also call for the creation of conditions that would allow for a constructive dialogue, leading the country to safety and laying the foundations for a state that all Syrians can agree on, both in form and substance.”

Qamishlo city celebrates the fall of Assad, December 7 [RIC]

Risk of ISIS Resurgence

-When Syrian Arab Army (SAA) forces pulled out of central Syria’s desert region the US and Coalition, as well as the SDF, raised fears over a potential security vacuum enabling an ISIS resurgence.

-The SDF’s Deir ez-Zor Military Council moved to enter Deir ez-Zor city and other areas west of the Euphrates, including al-Bukamal crossing, following the withdrawal of SAA forces and associated Iranian militias.

-The US stated it is committed to continuing counter-ISIS operations in Syria. Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, said that the US is focused “that the fighting in Syria not lead to the resurgence of ISIS, and we are going to take steps on stands, directly at working with SDF, the Kurds, to ensure that does not happen”.

-On December 8, the US announced conducting dozens of airstrikes targeting 75 ISIS cell locations in central Syria. 

-On December 7, the SDF reported an ISIS attack on a military vehicle in Shaddadi, which killed four fighters from the ‘Self-Defense’ forces.

Syria map, December 9 [RIC]

Israeli Airstrikes 

-Following the fall of Assad, Israel moved to fully Mount Hermon on the Golan heights and to carry out a series of airstrikes across Syria allegedly targeting the GoS’ key military resources.

-On December 9, Qamishlo city witnessed a string of airstrikes. Initial reports suggested that the strikes were from Israel and targeted SAA ammunition depots and military warehouses.

 

RIC is on-the-ground in NES and available to provide comment, photos and videos, and contact to IDPs, political representatives and humanitarian personnel for comment. Get in touch via e-mail: [email protected] or on WhatsApp or Signal: +963 992 461 683.