Syrian Army-Linked Groups Launch Grad Missile and Drone Attacks on Kurdish Neighborhoods in Aleppo

Peregraf - Armed groups affiliated with the Syrian government carried out heavy bombardment on Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo early Wednesday, using Grad missiles, tanks, and drones, according to the city’s Internal Security Forces (Asayish). 

In a statement, the Asayish—which serves as the domestic security and policing wing of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)—said Damascus-affiliated forces targeted the eastern part of Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood with tanks and Grad missiles in the early hours of the morning, causing significant material damage to civilian property. No immediate figures on casualties from the shelling were released. 

The Internal Security Forces also reported a separate drone attack in the Bani Zaid neighborhood of Aleppo, where two civilians were wounded after being struck by a drone belonging to the same armed groups. Due to continued shelling and aerial targeting, rescue teams were unable to reach the wounded and transfer them to hospitals, the statement added.

“These attacks deliberately target civilians and residential areas,” the Asayish said, describing the incidents as part of an ongoing campaign against populated neighborhoods in the city. 

The latest attacks come amid escalating violence against the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in northern Aleppo. According to a report released on January 7, 2026, by the Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) of the AANES, the two neighborhoods have been subjected to intense and systematic attacks by Turkish-backed armed factions and, more recently, pro-government forces. 

The DFR report documents civilian deaths, dozens of injuries, and a rapidly worsening humanitarian situation in the two enclaves, which together are home to more than 500,000 residents. The population includes around 55,000 Kurdish families as well as thousands of families displaced from Afrin.

The report stresses that Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh lack heavy military deployments, noting that only the Asayish are present to maintain civil order. The Asayish coordinates closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) —the AANES’s primary military wing—; the Asayish functions as a police force for internal stability, whereas the SDF manages external defense. The AANES maintains that the absence of SDF military hardware in these neighborhoods underscores the civilian nature of the areas currently under fire.

Turkish-Backed Factions Identified
The report identifies several factions operating under the "Ministry of Defense" of the Syrian Interim Government (often associated with the Syrian National Army) as the perpetrators. These groups have utilized tanks, mortars, rocket launchers (Grad/Katyusha), and suicide FPV drones. Key units involved include:

The 60th Division: Led by Awad al-Jassim (Abu Qutaiba al-Manbiji), a former HTS commander. His deputy is identified as Mudar Najjar.
The 76th Division (Al-Hamzat): Led by Sayf Balud. This faction and its leader are under U.S. and U.K. sanctions (the latter as of late 2025).
The 72nd Division: Composed of several Turkish-backed groups and led by a former HTS commander known as "Khattab al-Albani."
The 80th Division: Led by Khalid al-Omar, a defected Syrian army officer.