Update December 5: Northern Syria Offensive

Rojava Information Center

5 dec 2024

Highlights

At least 85,000 displaced individuals from Aleppo and environs have reached North and East Syria (NES), as the DAANES estimates that IDP numbers will soon reach 120,000
Thousands sleeping outside in freezing conditions, multiple deaths reported, urgent need for shelter and other humanitarian relief.
Grave risk of imminent Turkish-backed assault against DAANES-governed Manbij, with multi-ethnic population of c.300K, creating further destabilization.
Aleppo city’s Kurdish neighbourhoods, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, remain calm with no fighting reported today, while still encircled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
DAANES and SDF claim 15,000 civilians remain stranded in Shehba, unable to leave and being subjected to human rights abuses at the hands of the SNA.
IDPs arriving in Tabqa tell of verbal abuse, property theft, kidnapping and physical violence from the Turkish-backed SNA while on the road out of Shehba, with many travelling for days on foot.
SDF state ISIS has seized desert territory from the Syrian Arab Army and announce they “will intervene effectively” if ISIS expands towards NES.

Humanitarian disaster for Shehba’s IDPs

At least 85,000 Kurdish Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from Shehba have passed into NES through Tabqa and Raqqa. On December 1, Shehba was seized by Turkish-backed Syrian National Army militias which previously drove the bulk of the Kurdish population and all Yazidis and Christians out of the Afrin region in 2018.
Thousands more Arab IDPs have arrived fleeing generalized violence across north-west Syria.
While most have remained there, a small portion have moved on to emergency shelters or relatives’ houses in Kobane, Heseke, Qamishlo and other areas of the Jazira canton.
The Tabqa crisis cell has set up 235 shelters, while its Raqqa counterpart has set up 60.
Acute shortages of medicine, infant milk, food, medicines, blankets and shelter in the newly-constructed IDP camps, with civilians sleeping outside in subzero temperatures.
1,035 Shehba IDPs (228 families) reached Qamishlo city, where an emergency support center has been set up. 158 of those families have remained in the support center, while 70 have moved on to stay with relatives in the area.
Almost 500 families reached Heseke city’s emergency support center.
DAANES officials call for opening of Yaroubiyah border crossing to allow passage of aid materials into NES.

Reported SNA human rights violations in Shehba

Co-chair of DAANES’ Afrin and Shehba Council, Mohammed Sheikho, says 15,000 civilians remain in Shehba, trapped by the SNA and awaiting evacuation.
The SDF state that 120 vehicles, filled with families seeking to flee Shehba, were stopped by the SNA and taken to a site near Sheikh Najar. The fate of the civilians is unknown and the SDF say they were unable to negotiate safe passage.
Mounting reports of kidnappings, arrests, murders, robberies and other crimes conducted by the SNA in Shehba.
IDPs in Tabqa say they faced verbal abuse, threats, property theft and physical violence from the SNA while on the road, with many travelling on foot for days.

“The events unfolded so fast that no real preparations could be made to receive this many people in Tabqa and Raqqa, and the DAANES’ resources are not enough. Small tents are hosting 2-3 families, big tents up to 20. There is a lack of shelter. People are sleeping on the pavements while 2-3 families are crammed into each tent. The big tents host 20 families apiece. Schools in Tabqa and Raqqa have been turned into emergency shelters. They have little heating and it’s freezing at night. Now children are deprived of their right to education

both the displaced children of Shehba, and the children of Raqqa and Tabqa – because the schools are occupied. Many people are also still stuck in Shehba. There was a guarantee of safe passage out of Shehba, but the SNA factions began violating the rights of the people. They have arrested, killed, and kidnapped people. Some people were kidnapped from convoys and taken to Afrin. People were killed on the road. The fate of those who didn’t leave Shehba shows the barbarity of the SNA. People in Shehba are sending us voice notes saying ‘we can’t stay here’ because all the youth are being arrested, people are being executed.” – Ibrahim Sheikho, Shehba IDP in Tabqa and civil activist at Afrin Human Rights organization

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

With the rest of Aleppo city captured by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the DAANES-linked Kurdish neighbourhoods are isolated.
There has been no violence inside the neighbourhoods for several days now, but residents report an atmosphere of tension and fear.
Scarcity of essential items has caused prices to rise, with sugar over doubling in price since HTS’ takeover of Aleppo city began.

SDF-held Manbij remains under threat

DAANES officials warn of a grave risk of a Turkish assault against Manbij, a multi-ethnic city west of the Euphrates and home to 300,000+ individuals forming an integral part of the multi-ethnic DAANES model of governance.
Attacks continued by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army along the line of contact separating the DAANES’ Manbij canton from Turkish-occupied SNA-controlled territory in northern Syria.
The SDF’s Manbij Military Council reported repeated shelling attacks from Turkey and the SNA, which today killed two civilians and injured two more, as well as attempted ground infiltration.
The SNA and the SDF have been engaged in clashes at Khafsah and Deir Hafir, near Manbij.

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: press@rojavaic.com or on WhatsApp or Signal: +963 992 461 683.

RIC’s previous updates and explainers can be read here:

December 4

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/update-december-4-northern-syria-offensive/

December 3

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/update-december-3/

December 2

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/update-december-2-northern-syria-offensive/

December 1

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/updatedecember1/

November 30

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/11/update-november-30-northern-syria-offensive/

Explainer – Aleppo city Kurdish neighbourhoods under siege

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/kurdish-neighborhoods-besieged-in-aleppo/

Explainer – Mass civilian displacement from Shehba

https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/explainer-thousands-of-civilians-driven-out-of-shehba/