In Aleppo, northern Syria, a young Kurdish university student was subjected to kidnapping and systematic maltreatment by armed militants affiliated with the Transitional Government Forces (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham). The incident occurred yesterday evening as the victim was returning from Aleppo University to his home in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. Armed elements stopped him on the road leading to the neighborhood near the Al-Jalaa Club. The assaults escalated from racial slurs and threats to physical abduction, followed by transportation to an unknown location where he endured severe beating and torture before being released hours later and abandoned on a main road, according to the student’s account to local media.
Detailed Information
Victim: A Kurdish university student (who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of threats), a student at Aleppo University, and a resident of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.
Perpetrators: Armed militants affiliated with the Transitional Government Forces (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham). They were riding in a “Toyota” brand car.
Operation Details:
Date and Location: Yesterday evening, on the road leading to the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood near the Al-Jalaa Club in Aleppo city.
Execution Method: The incident began with the victim being filmed, followed by racial insults, unjustified arrest, and confiscation of his mobile phone.
Incitement and Pretext: The threats escalated after searching his phone and seeing Kurdish symbols, where the victim was explicitly targeted because of his ethnic identity.
Torture Methods: Beating, placing a cloth bag over the head, binding the hands, transportation to an unknown location, and stomping on the body.
Injuries: Bruises on the face and various parts of the body.
Conclusion of the Incident: He was released hours after the kidnapping by being abandoned on a main road.
Context: Reports indicate a prevalence of assaults with racial undertones by armed groups affiliated with HTS in areas under their influence, especially in regions controlled by Turkey and its factions.
