“ Internationally Sanctioned Terrorist Factions Embedded in the De Facto Authority: Systematic Crimes Against Civilians “

The terrorist factions operating within the terrorist de facto authority and implicated in, and directly responsible for, the barbaric attack on residential neighborhoods in Aleppo are the very same groups that carried out documented massacres in Suwayda and along the Syrian coast.

— According to visual evidence: al-Amshat (Suleiman Shah Division), Sultan Murad Division, Hamza Division, and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement.

The targeting of more than 600,000 civilians in the residential neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid by terrorist factions listed under international sanctions—the same factions operating within the de facto authority affiliated with the Damascus government and led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani—constitutes a war crime and a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law.

📌 Documented Findings:
• Visual evidence confirms that the factions carrying out attacks on civilian neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo are the same groups responsible for documented massacres in Suwayda and the Syrian coast.
• These factions are listed under international sanctions due to their extensive record of serious violations against civilians.
• Since their inception, these terrorist armed formations have operated as proxy forces, never constituting part of any national project, and instead maintaining a black record of systematic criminality and grave abuses against civilians.

📍 Factions involved in the attack (according to visual materials published by their own members):
• Division 62 (known as the

Suleiman Shah Division – al-Amshat

)
• Division 72 (known as the

Sultan Murad Division

)
• Division 76 (known as the

Hamza Division

)
• Division 80 (known as the

Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement

)

⚠️ Despite their well-documented criminal record, these factions operate within the structure of the Ministry of Defense of the Damascus government and are under its direct command.
• These armed formations receive full official backing and political endorsement from the de facto authority led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmad al-Sharaa), rendering this terrorist authority—at all levels—directly complicit in the political, moral, and legal responsibility for the crimes committed.

🔴 Documented casualties to date:
• 8 civilian martyrs
• 52 injured civilians
• At least 300 homes damaged
• Dozens of service and medical facilities destroyed or severely damaged

The direct targeting of populated residential areas with heavy weaponry, and the imposition of shelling and siege through internationally sanctioned factions, constitutes a fully-fledged war crime and a serious breach of International Humanitarian Law.

The continued rebranding and recycling of internationally sanctioned factions under official titles, and their deployment to repress civilians, will only deepen the crisis, expand the scope of crimes, and threaten societal stability on a broader scale.

Jihadists members of the de facto authority, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmad al-Sharaa), with the direct participation of units under the Ministry of Defense—including Division 62 (al-Amshat), Division 72 (Sultan Murad), Division 76 (Hamza), and Division 80 (Nour al-Din al-Zenki)—carried out an attack on the “Grand Mosque” near the al-Jabanat area in Sheikh Maqsoud, using heavy machine guns and mortar shells.

This direct targeting of a place of worship with heavy weaponry constitutes a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law and amounts to a war crime within the context of the armed conflict, as it represents an assault on protected sites and civilians in a populated area.

📍 Aleppo – Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud

Documented footage shows thousands of members of terrorist factions, operating as part of the Ministry of Defense under the de facto authority—factions listed under international sanctions and designated as terrorist organizations, representing a practical extension of ISIS in terms of ideology and criminal behavior—gathering on the outskirts of predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods in Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud. This constitutes a clear preparation for a potential brutal attack on densely populated civilian areas inhabited by approximately 600,000 civilians.

⚠️ The footage also documents incitement with a jihadist character, showing members of these terrorist factions calling for the killing of Kurdish civilians in Aleppo, while promising “paradise” to fighters who are killed during these attacks. This behavior reflects a clear ISIS-inspired ideology based on takfir and incitement to mass violence.

❗ These developments constitute an early warning of potential war crimes and represent a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law, particularly the principles of civilian protection and the prohibition of incitement to violence based on ethnic or sectarian identity.

📎 The de facto authority, led by al-Jolani, is the commanding and sponsoring entity of these terrorist factions integrated within its Ministry of Defense and under its direct control. Media outlets affiliated with this authority also bear direct responsibility for acting as propaganda channels that mislead public opinion, provide media cover, and remain silent about the crimes and violations committed against civilians.