On Monday, October 6, 2025, Bahjat Mahmoud Othman, a resident of Aleppo, was killed and more than five other civilians, including two women, were injured in SDF artillery shelling targeting neighborhoods in Aleppo. The area is under Syrian government control.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from reliable local sources, SDF artillery stationed in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood fired several mortar shells toward areas in Aleppo. One of these shells landed in Saif al-Dawla Park, wounding the park guard, Bahjat, who died instantly
We are continuing our investigations, including reviewing and gathering more evidence and information. Therefore, we hope that anyone with information or details related to this incident will provide them to us via our official email address: [email protected]
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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 artillery shells, a weapon 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 situation and spreading panic among the population.
- If it is proven that the attack deliberately targeted a civilian area, or was carried out with the knowledge that there was no legitimate military target, this may be classified as 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.
