A boy, identified as 12-year-old Maher Ibeid Ahmad al-Saeed from al-Tayba village in eastern rural Deir Ez-Zour governorate, was shot dead on February 20, 2024, by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) personnel stationed in Theyban town in eastern Deir Ez-Zour governorate, who killed the boy as he herded sheep near a bridge in al-Mayadeen city on the opposite bank of the Euphrates River. The area in which Maher was shot is under the control of Syrian regime forces.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that, through this killing, the SDF has again violated international human rights law. The perpetrators must be held accountable.
