“Rights Monitor Syria” has documented a series of security incidents and violations witnessed in the Raqqa Governorate during the period between July 12 and 17, 2026. These included the killing of a Kurdish civilian and the injury of several of his family members in an armed attack, the kidnapping of a Kurdish merchant, in addition to the arrest of a number of Kurdish civilians at security checkpoints belonging to the Ministry of Interior of the Interim Authority, amid continued ambiguity regarding the fate of some detainees and abductees.
On July 12, 2026, a young man, Fadel Ibrahim Hamou, belonging to a Kurdish family, was killed, and four members of his family sustained injuries, some described as serious, following an assault by an armed group on the family home in the Shnainah farm, located approximately 13 kilometers north of Raqqa city.
According to available information, the house was attacked by seven individuals wearing military uniforms, who are believed to have impersonated security personnel. The attack resulted in the death of Fadel Ibrahim Hamou after he sustained direct gunshot wounds. His father was seriously injured, and his three sisters sustained gunshot wounds, in addition to injuries to other family members, with the condition of two of them described as critical.
Sources reported that one of the family’s girls returned fire during the attack, resulting in the death of one of the assailants. Information also indicated that the gunmen seized approximately $37,000 USD and gold jewelry belonging to the family before fleeing the scene.
Indications show that the targeted family is considered one of the well-known Kurdish families in Raqqa Governorate and has been working in the field of commerce for many years.
On July 14, 2026, Arif Mahmoud Bouzan, a Kurdish car merchant, was kidnapped by a masked armed group in the city of Raqqa.
According to information, an unidentified group riding in an unplated black “Veracruz” vehicle intercepted the victim’s vehicle and, at gunpoint, seized his white Hyundai Santa Fe before taking him to an unknown destination.
On the following morning, the vehicle was found near the Al-Karama water pumps, east of Raqqa Governorate, while the fate of Arif Mahmoud Bouzan remained unknown as of the drafting of this report. Preliminary information, which could not be independently verified, also indicated that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of $200,000 USD in exchange for his release.
In another incident on July 14, 2026, personnel from the Public Security, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the Interim Authority, detained three Kurdish youths at the Al-Karama checkpoint in Raqqa Governorate while they were traveling by bus from Aleppo city to Qamishli city.
According to the information, the youths had left Aleppo city with the intention of visiting relatives in Qamishli. Two of them hail from the city of Afrin, while the third hails from the Tal Aran district in the Aleppo countryside. No information was available regarding the reasons for their detention, the legal basis for their arrest, or their fate after being taken away.
On July 17, 2026, personnel from the Public Security, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the Interim Authority, arrested a Kurdish youth, Sheikhmous, aged approximately 30, at the Al-Hamzat checkpoint in Raqqa city while he was traveling aboard a passenger bus heading from Aleppo city to Hasakah city.
According to sources, Sheikhmous hails from the villages of Midana, belonging to the Rajo district in the Afrin countryside. The sources added that the checkpoint personnel detained the young man after searching his mobile phone, claiming they found images of Kurdish symbols, before taking him to one of the Public Security headquarters in Raqqa city, without announcing any legal proceedings against him or disclosing his fate.
These facts point to ongoing concerns regarding the deteriorating security situation in Raqqa Governorate, amid the recording of killings, kidnappings, and arrests targeting civilians, including individuals of Kurdish ethnicity, coupled with the absence of official information regarding the results of investigations into the armed attacks, the legal basis for the detentions, or the fate of a number of abductees and detainees.
