On 12 February 2026, the Rights Monitor platform identified photographs and video footage that were widely circulated, documenting the killing of several Kurdish civilians while attempting to flee from the city of Raqqa toward Hasakah Governorate in northern Syria. The individuals were reportedly subjected to an armed ambush on the road connecting the two cities. The footage shows scenes of apparent summary executions of victims dressed in civilian clothing, with no visible weapons in their possession, raising serious concerns regarding the commission of unlawful killings of civilians outside the framework of hostilities.
According to materials verified as circulated on 12 February 2026, a group of Kurdish civilians was ambushed on the Raqqa–Hasakah road while attempting to flee areas of active clashes. One video clip shows an individual believed to be affiliated with, or loyal to, the Syrian Interim Authority led by Ahmad al-Shar’a, directing degrading remarks toward the victims in a local Arabic dialect, including the phrase: “Lying face down like dogs,” in reference to the victims lying on the ground.
The footage indicates that the majority of the victims were dressed in civilian attire, and no weapons were observed beside them, reinforcing the presumption that they were targeted as civilians fleeing areas of military operations.
Separate images were also circulated showing three members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), one of whom had been beheaded, while the bodies of the other two appeared to have been subjected to mutilation. If verified, these acts would constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the prohibition of mutilation of corpses, outrages upon personal dignity, and the killing of persons hors de combat.
This incident occurs within the context of a broader military escalation that began on 6 January 2026, when forces of the Syrian Interim Authority, represented by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched military operations targeting the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah in the city of Aleppo, before taking control of them on 10 January 2026.
Subsequently, operations expanded to areas east of the Euphrates River, following the alignment of certain Arab tribes with Interim Government forces, particularly in Raqqa Governorate and the northern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. As military operations advanced, their scope extended to other Kurdish-populated areas, including the city of Kobani, the countryside of Hasakah, and the countryside of Qamishli.
Multiple human rights documentations indicate that the military campaign targeting predominantly Kurdish areas from 6 January 2026 until the date of this report has resulted in the killing, arrest, and enforced disappearance of large numbers of Kurdish civilians and combatants, in addition to other grave violations, including indiscriminate killings, the targeting of civilians during attempts to flee, and attacks on residential homes.
If confirmed through an independent and transparent investigation, these incidents constitute serious indications of violations that may amount to war crimes, thereby necessitating accountability in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
