Child killed near Kobane as SDF reports ceasefire violations

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A child was killed and three others were injured on Sunday due to continued artillery shelling by the Syrian Arab Army and its affiliated armed groups on villages west of the Kurdish city of Kobane, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported, accusing Damascus forces of serious violations of a recently extended ceasefire agreement.

In a statement on X, the SDF said late Sunday the shelling targeted the village of Qasimiya, killing one child and injuring three others, censuring the attack as “a clear violation of the ceasefire extension agreement.”

“Since the morning hours, Damascus forces have launched attacks on the villages of Zirik and Qasimiya to the west of Kobane, as well as the village of al-Jalabiyah to the southeast of the city,” the statement added, noting that the escalation occurred “just hours after an agreement was reached to extend the ceasefire.”

The SDF also released footage showing the children who were killed and injured in the shelling.

The reported shelling comes amid growing outrage over alleged abuses committed by Syrian government-affiliated forces during their recent military operations in northeastern Syria (Rojava).

Local and human rights sources told Rudaw on Sunday that a Kurdish fighter was killed during clashes in the city of Raqqa, after which footage circulated showing his body being desecrated. Human rights sources said the victim was a Kurdish fighter originally from the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwest Syria.

Rudaw contacted a relative of the victim, Nigar Mohammed, who confirmed the authenticity of the footage and identified the fighter.

“The fighter is Agid Rajo; his real name is Omar Mohammed Omar. His mother is Amina. He was 22 years old and originally from the village of Qara Baba in the Kurdish region of Afrin. He was married and the father of an only child, a two-year-old son,” she said.

Mohammed said contact with Omar was lost on January 17.

“He last called his wife on that day, and then communication was cut,” she said. “Omar was martyred in the city of Raqqa, and his phone fell into the hands of the militants. Using his phone, the militants sent video clips of his body to his family. They had burned his body completely. After that, they demanded the family pay $500 in exchange for sending the body.”

The incident has drawn strong condemnation from human rights organizations.
Jamil Diarbakerli, Director of the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights, told Rudaw on Sunday that such acts constitute serious violations of international law.

“We at the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights condemn in the strongest terms the actions of elements of the government forces in Damascus in desecrating and burning the bodies of the deceased during the recent military escalation in the Syrian Jazira region,” Diarbakerli said.

“These practices do not only represent a moral decline but are a grave violation of Rule 113 of Customary International Humanitarian Law and a flagrant breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 16), which mandates respect for the dead and the protection of their bodies from mutilation,” he added.

Diarbakerli further urged the international community and the United Nations to “intervene immediately to put an end to these violations, hold those responsible for these crimes - which are classified as war crimes - accountable, and ensure the protection of civilians in the Syrian Jazira from any retaliatory tendencies that threaten civil peace and the social fabric.”

In recent days, several videos circulated online showing alleged abuses by gunmen affiliated with Syrian government forces, including the humiliation of detainees and the chanting of “revenge” slogans. One incident involving the cutting of a female Kurdish fighter’s braid in Raqqa sparked condemnation from women, politicians, and activists across the world.

The latest violations come despite the interim defense ministry and the SDF saying on Saturday they had agreed to extend a ceasefire by 15 days after an initial four-day truce expired, amid reports of troop mobilizations and tense standoffs.

In parallel, Damascus and the SDF have been holding US-mediated talks to integrate the Kurdish-administered regions and Kurdish-led forces under Syrian state control.

RELATED: Massacre of Kurdish family on ceasefire day draws scrutiny to US’s new ally in Damascus