On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Ayman Ibrahim al-Idris, 20, was killed, and his father, Ibrahim, 50, and his young brother, Ali, were injured in an artillery and missile attack carried out by a Syrian Democratic Forces rocket launcher, targeting the outskirts of the village of al-Kayariya in the eastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate. It should be noted that the area is under the control of the transitional government.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from local sources, the Syrian Democratic Forces shelled the outskirts of the road between the villages of al-Saeed and al-Kayariya, south of the al-Khafsa district in the eastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate, using rocket launchers and mortar shells. The shelling coincided with the return of Ayman, his father, and his brother to the village from work. Ayman was killed and his father and young brother were injured, sustaining varying degrees of serious injuries. Syrian Civil Defense teams transported the injured to hospitals for treatment.
Legal Conclusions:
- International humanitarian law requires a distinction at all times between civilians and combatants, and between civilian objects and military objectives. Since the bombing targeted a road with no indication of a nearby military target, the Syrian Democratic Forces violated this fundamental principle.
- Even if a military target was present in the area, the attack that killed Ayman al-Idris and injured his father and brother may have been disproportionate, particularly if the expected civilian casualties outweighed the potential military gain.
- The use of rocket launchers, weapons with wide-area effects, against a civilian-populated area, without prior warning and without evidence of precise targeting, constitutes a prohibited indiscriminate attack. This attack also falls within a pattern of repeated violations that contribute to destabilizing the security and spreading terror among the population.
- If it is proven that the attack deliberately targeted a civilian area, or was carried out with knowledge that there was no legitimate military target, it may constitute a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as a deliberate attack against civilians or civilian objects.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ recommendations:
- Open an immediate and impartial investigation into the incident, under the supervision of an independent body, to determine the circumstances of the attack and those responsible, and ensure that perpetrators of these violations do not escape punishment, especially in light of the recurring pattern of similar attacks.
- Call on international parties supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces to exert direct pressure to halt these attacks and publicly commit to the rules of international humanitarian law.
- Urgently compensate victims and their families, and provide psychological and medical support to the injured, as part of their protection and accountability obligations.
- The transitional government in Damascus is responsible for protecting Syrian citizens throughout Syria, compensating them, and holding perpetrators of violations accountable.
