Sirin Mohammed
Aleppo — Despite a fragile ceasefire agreement, residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo are enduring a suffocating siege imposed by fighters of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadist faction representing the Syrian Interim Government. The blockade has sparked renewed fears of escalation and deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis.
While the ceasefire was intended to halt military operations, the establishment of new checkpoints and security barriers has raised doubts about the sincerity of the commitment to peace. Frustration and anger are mounting among residents, who demand an end to the siege and the restoration of their right to live in safety and dignity.
For over two weeks, the two neighborhoods have been effectively cut off by HTS forces. The blockade has paralyzed daily life and restricted the movement of goods and people, triggering severe shortages in essential supplies — most critically, diesel fuel, a vital resource as winter approaches.
Protests erupted as residents took to the streets calling for the blockade to be lifted, but were met with violence, leaving several people dead or injured. The incident has fueled public outrage and fear that the ceasefire may soon collapse entirely.
On October 7, both sides reached an agreement to cease all hostilities in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, pledging to respect the truce. Yet, shortly thereafter, HTS militants tightened their grip by setting up new fortifications around Sheikh Maqsoud, reigniting fears that the ceasefire is merely a temporary pause before renewed conflict.
Scenes of Suffering Resurface
Mona Ahmad, a resident of Sheikh Maqsoud, described a long history of hardship:
“We’ve lived in this neighborhood for decades. We endured airstrikes and sieges under the Ba’ath regime, and now we face the same oppression — this time from HTS militants under the Interim Government,” she said.
Mona believes the ongoing siege is part of a broader international conspiracy targeting the Kurdish people and their imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, but insists that “the will of this resilient people will not be broken.”
She accused the Syrian Interim Government of violating the ceasefire agreement by erecting dirt barricades and isolating the neighborhoods, warning that such actions could ignite sectarian tensions.
Noor Mohammed, who has lived in Sheikh Maqsoud for more than fifty years, expressed deep disappointment after the fall of the Ba’ath regime:
“We hoped for a peaceful life, but this siege and the violation of the agreement have brought fear back into our hearts.”
She recalled a recent explosion in the Tariq bin Ziyad Park in Ashrafieh:
“I was walking my daughter to school when the blast happened. It felt like we were thrown fifteen years back in time — fear has returned to our lives.”
Hopes for Lifting the Siege
Hiba Mohammed highlighted the severe shortage of diesel fuel, noting that life had been relatively stable under the Autonomous Administration before the siege disrupted trade and movement:
“People are being harassed when entering or leaving the neighborhoods. We just want peace — we don’t want to be forced to migrate. We want to stay in our homeland.”
Mona al-Hajjar condemned the ongoing abuses by HTS fighters and urged unity among the residents in the face of the blockade. She called on the Syrian Interim Government to honor its commitments under the ceasefire, emphasizing that the Internal Security Forces of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have thus far respected the agreement and refrained from any violations.
“This siege has left us with severe shortages in food and medicine. Diesel is the lifeline of daily life — and we’re about to enter winter. We have elderly people, the sick, and children. We just hope this nightmare doesn’t continue.”