ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused Damascus-affiliated forces of carrying out a “massacre” in northern Syria, killing five women and two toddlers in drone strikes and artillery shelling on Saturday.
“Pro-Turkey factions affiliated with the Damascus government carried out a massacre against civilians in the village of Umm Tina, located in the Deir Hafer countryside [in] eastern Aleppo,” the SDF said in a statement on X.
In the attack, “seven civilians were martyred, including two children” and five women aged between 18 and 75, it added.
Three other women and a 60-year-old man were also injured in the attack that “began with drone strikes and was followed by heavy artillery shelling at approximately 7:00 pm, deliberately targeting civilian homes,” it said.
The SDF condemned the attack as a “heinous crime that reflects the systematic policy pursued by these factions for years.”
“We reaffirm that the absence of accountability has only emboldened the perpetrators to repeat such grave violations,” it added.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the incident and said that the seven were killed by Syrian army shelling. It also reported clashes between pro-government forces and the SDF in the Deir Hafer area.
Videos published by the Kurdish-led SDF show a number of civilian casualties being rushed to a hospital, after reportedly being targeted by drones and artillery shelling, attributed to 'Damascus-affiliated' factions, on eastern Aleppo's Deir Hafer. The SDF described the attack as… pic.twitter.com/o5EpnyCLm2
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) September 20, 2025
Deir Hafer is a strategic area located in eastern Aleppo province. It remains largely under SDF control, which functions as the de facto military force of northeastern Syria (Rojava).
In recent weeks, Damascus-aligned factions have intensified efforts to seize the district, as it would enable them to open a logistical corridor to Raqqa province in north-central Syria. It would also allow them to put military pressure on the SDF in other regions crucial for the Kurdish forces’ operations, including Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge, both on the Euphrates River.
Earlier on Saturday, the SDF accused “militants” affiliated with Damascus of launching a drone strike against one of their outposts in Deir Hafer. The SDF said it “immediately and precisely responded to the sources of fire, achieving confirmed hits that forced the attackers to retreat.”
Last week, the SDF said they repelled "infiltration attempts and artillery attacks" from groups "affiliated with the Damascus government" in the same area.
The Syrian defense ministry, however, has claimed that the SDF “targeted” Syrian army positions in eastern Aleppo, including Deir Hafer.
The ministry noted that “two SDF-affiliated groups attempted to infiltrate Syrian Arab Army positions in the Tal Ma'az area” and accused the force of “continuing to target army deployment sites in the Deir Hafer and Manbij areas.”
It urged the SDF to adhere to a ceasefire agreement it struck with the Syrian state in March.
