Interim Govt.'s mercenaries kidnap civilians, request their families ransom

The mercenaries of the Interim Government are kidnapping civilians in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, and demanding ransom from their families for their release. A woman was arrested along with her two children, and could not give her name for the safety of her family, recounted, "me and my kids were arrested, and we were asked to pay $700 for our release."

15 January, 2026 16:39

QAMISHLO

After the Syrian Interim Government's mercenaries launched an attack on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo on January 6th, a large number of civilians were arrested. The mercenaries are demanding ransoms from the families of the abductees, or those who intend to head towards the areas of North and East Syria, in exchange for their release. One woman and her two children were abducted by the mercenaries. She made clear, "We paid $700 to be released." She confirmed that the mercenaries are directly targeting civilians and forcing them to pay ransoms.

Looting of homes

The displaced residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, who were forced to flee due to the attacks, left their belongings behind, while the mercenaries are entering homes and looting residents' possessions, telling people, "The Kurds must leave Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh."

J.J

ANHA