On 24 January 2026, media outlets circulated videos showing a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) filming himself alongside corpses in the village of Khurus, following the SDF’s response to an attack carried out by Damascus-affiliated factions and allied local tribes. The video documents the number of corpses killed during the incident, which amounted to 21 individuals, according to the recording.

According to the official statement issued by the SDF Media Center:
• The fighter appearing in the video was immediately removed from the ranks of the forces.
• He was referred to the military court for the necessary legal procedures.
• The forces described the incident as an individual act that is unacceptable and emphasized that it does not reflect their principles or policies.
• The SDF reaffirmed its commitment to ethical standards and respect for the sanctity of corpses in accordance with military and humanitarian law.

The act shown in the video constitutes a violation of legal, ethical, and humanitarian standards, and immediate measures were taken to address it in accordance with applicable military laws, while documenting the facts in a rights-based and objective manner.

Field evidence indicates the continued commission of grave violations against civilians across multiple regions of Syria, from the coastal areas and Suwayda to northeast Syria, following a recurring pattern of crimes with a sectarian character and employing the same methods.

📍 Northeast Syria – Today

🟡 A video was documented showing elements affiliated with the so-called Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior under the de facto authority deliberately running over the bodies of Kurdish fighters using a military armored vehicle. The footage constitutes documentation of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The video shows the armored vehicle repeatedly driving over the bodies, an act classified as intentional killing and a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the dead, reflecting a high level of systematic violence and the stripping of human dignity.

This incident occurs within a broader context of previously documented crimes in the Syrian coast, Suwayda, and other regions, where the same patterns of violations recur, including extrajudicial killings, mutilation of corpses, and violations carried out on sectarian and ethnic grounds.

Available information and circulating documentation indicate that the individual shown in the above video, filming the incident of running over the bodies of Kurdish individuals in a manner suggesting pride, is the same person to whom previous violations against Kurdish civilians in various areas are attributed.

According to testimonies and local sources, the individual in question is alleged to have previously participated in sniper operations targeting Kurdish civilians while they were leaving the areas of Sheikh Maqsoud and Deir Hafir. He is then reported to have relocated to northeast Syria, where he is attributed with continuing acts of killing on ethnic and sectarian grounds.

Circulating estimates suggest that the number of victims attributed to these violations exceeds 20 Kurdish civilians across different locations, in addition to allegations of carrying out field executions in the surroundings of the cities of al-Hasakah and al-Dabsi. The information further indicates that the individual is originally from Aleppo Governorate.

This content is recorded within the framework of preliminary human rights documentation, based on visual material and corroborated testimonies, pending verification and accountability procedures.

📅 25 / 1 / 2016 – Evening
A child was killed and three others were injured as a result of ongoing artillery shelling carried out by Damascus-affiliated factions on the village of al-Qassamiyah, west of Kobani, constituting a clear violation of the ceasefire extension agreement.

📅 20 / 1 / 2026 – From the early morning hours until now
Terrorist factions affiliated with the de facto authority in Damascus launched attacks on the villages of Zirik and al-Qassamiyah west of Kobani, as well as al-Jalabiyah village southeast of the city. This escalation occurred only hours after the announcement of the ceasefire extension agreement.

📍 Northeast Syria
In a further explicit breach of the ceasefire agreement, Damascus-affiliated factions carried out an attack on the village of “Qiri”, administratively linked to the city of Karky Laky, using three suicide drones.