The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s chairman called on the Syrian government to hold those responsible accountable amid claims of severe human rights abuses by Syrian army personnel during the takeover of two Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo. Some accounts assert that jihadist-linked army members carried out the abuses. 

Jim Risch, Republican from Idaho, posted on X Tuesday that, “I am gravely concerned about the conduct of armed forces in , over the past week and urge the government to hold accountable those who committed these egregious acts. After years of war, the role of Syria’s new government and armed forces is to safeguard the inherent rights of its citizens, not to infringe upon them.”

Risch was reacting to a Syrian Network post on X that condemned the desecration of a woman’s body in Aleppo, where a Syrian Army member threw it from a high floor.

, Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, urged “all parties to exercise maximum restraint” in the Aleppo area. 

Following several days of heavy fighting, Syrian army units led by former U.S.-designated terrorist Ahmed al-Sharaa—who once belonged to the terrorist groups al-Qaeda and the Islamic State—seized two neighborhoods (Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh) in Aleppo on Sunday. The areas had been home to members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF played a pivotal role in helping U.S. forces defeat the Islamic State in Syria.

Mazloum Abdi, the SDF’s leader, wrote on X that an internationally mediated agreement had finalized the evacuation of Syrian Kurds from the two Aleppo districts.

Abdi stated, “With mediation by international parties to halt the attacks and violations against our people in Aleppo, we have reached an understanding that leads to a ceasefire and ensures the evacuation of the martyrs, wounded, stranded civilians and fighters from the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods [in northern Aleppo] to North and East Syria [Rojava],” according to Kurdish news organization Rudaw. 

Tom Barrack, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, posted on X Saturday—after the Aleppo ceasefire agreement was apparently reached—that he had met with President al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus to discuss recent Aleppo developments and the broader path forward for Syria’s historic transition.

He added, “The Syrian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the March 2025 integration agreement with the SDF, which provides a framework for incorporating SDF forces into national institutions in a manner that preserves Kurdish rights and strengthens Syria’s unity and sovereignty.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Kurdish studies expert, told Digital before the Syrian army drove the SDF out of Aleppo’s districts that, “Kurds suspect that Turkey is pushing Damascus to expel Kurdish forces from Aleppo to deal a major blow to the SDF, so that they will make more concessions to Damascus and weaken the Kurdish negotiation position. 

“Ankara wants the SDF to integrate into the Syrian army as individual members, not as separate divisions,” van Wilgenburg said. He added, “Moreover, the SDF favors a decentralized system, while Damascus wants a centralized one. The Kurds have decided to stand their ground in Aleppo. The current situation could trigger a widespread conflict that undermines Trump’s policy of creating sustainable peace in the Middle East.”

The Aleppo Health Directorate reported that at least 24 civilians were killed and more than 120 people injured during five days of clashes.

The government of views Syrian Kurds as a threat to Turkey because many regional Kurdish organizations seek an independent state that would include parts of Turkey—where there is a large Kurdish population. Over the years, Erdogan has launched devastating attacks on Kurds in northern Syria.

previously told ‘ Mark Levin on “Life, Liberty & Levin” that during his first term, President Trump halted Erdogan’s attacks on Syrian Kurds. 

The SDF’s General Command issued a statement last week saying, “We warn that the continuation of this aggression against civilians will lead to serious repercussions that will not be limited to Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh or to the city of Aleppo alone, but will risk plunging all of Syria back into an open battlefield. Full responsibility for this will rest with those who persist in choosing the use of force against civilians.”

During al-Sharaa’s rule over the past year, radical Islamist forces aligned with his army have carried out massacres of various Syrian minority groups—from Alawites to the Druze. Radical Islamists have also murdered Syrian Christians.

Sinam Mohamad, the Syrian Democratic Council’s representative to the U.S., told Digital that a “decentralized system will save Syria from any or conflict in the future.” She said, “We regret foreign influence” in Syria, noting that “Turkey still has influence on Damascus.” She said that , citing the recent attacks in Aleppo.

Mohamad said Syrian Kurds have a “negotiating committee to discuss the autonomous government in northeastern Syria. We also have who have been fighting against ISIS.” She asked, “What is the future of women in the army in Syria? Damascus does not want women units in the army. In Israel, they have women in the army.”

She said this is part of the negotiations with al-Sharaa’s government regarding the March 2025 agreement reached between the SDF and the Syrian regime.

Van Wilgenburg stated, “The clashes began after the latest negotiations between the Kurds and Damascus over the implementation of the March 10 agreement failed to produce any results. Damascus earlier verbally agreed on three SDF divisions, but there were remaining discussions and differing viewpoints over command and control. The last meeting took place on Jan. 4 in Damascus.”

According to the SDF, “The neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh have been under complete siege by factions of the Damascus government for more than six months. These neighborhoods do not, under any circumstances, constitute a military threat, nor can they serve as a launching point for any attack on the city of Aleppo.”

The statement added that, “The allegations promoted by bloodthirsty circles within Damascus-affiliated factions, claiming the existence of intent or military movement by our forces from these neighborhoods, are false and fabricated. They are used as a pretext to justify the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians.”

Digital contacted the spokesperson for Turkey’s embassy in Washington D.C. as well as the numerous times.