Syria accuses Kurdish groups of using civilians as human shields in Aleppo video

Kurdish formations in Aleppo have seized a hospital in the Sheikh Maqsoud district, expelling doctors and patients — including those in critical condition — in order to use the facility as a defensive position against the advancing Syrian government army.

The development was reported by the Voennoe Delo Telegram channel and the Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to Syria’s Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa, militants from the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and PKK/YPG (People’s Protection Units, formerly the Kurdistan Workers’ Party), both designated as terrorist organisations, have taken over several civilian facilities in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood and converted them into military positions. He said these sites are being used to carry out attacks on the civilian population.

Al-Mustafa added that as the Syrian Arab Army continues its advance and clears most of the militants’ strongholds, some Kurdish fighters have sought refuge in hospitals and medical centres, using civilians inside those buildings as human shields.

He underscored the need to ensure the strict protection of civilians and stressed that medical facilities must not be drawn into military operations, noting that such actions constitute violations of international humanitarian law.

By Tamilla Hasanova