A 45-year-old man identified as Zakkour al-Abd al-Barhoush, from al-Atja village in the suburbs of Manbij city in the northeast suburbs of Aleppo governorate, was killed on May 3, 2023, by the explosion of a landmine planted by members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) between the lines separating the territories controlled by Syrian regime forces from those controlled by the SDF in order to prevent smuggling in the northeast suburbs of Manbij. The victim was trying to cross from the SDF’s territories to the regime’s. The area is under the SDF’s control. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident.
We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in areas under their control, and to locate and remove landmines planted in these areas. We have documented hundreds of deaths and injuries resulting from the explosions of landmines, which pose a long-term, serious threat, especially to children, which will last for years to come.
SNHR also notes that, through this act of killing, the SDF has violated international human rights law. The perpetrators must be held accountable.
