New checkpoints tighten restrictions on Residents in Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh

According to local reports, the Transitional Government deployed these new checkpoints near existing joint positions shared with the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in the two neighborhoods, apparently as part of measures aimed at tightening control over the population.

The newly installed checkpoints are located along the Al-Awarid road, near Ashrafieh Park on the government-controlled side, and another one is being prepared along the closed Al-Jazira road, reinforced with concrete barriers.

Eyewitnesses told our agency that personnel manning these checkpoints have been stopping civilians, searching their mobile phones, and detaining individuals found with Kurdish symbols or related content—who are then taken to unknown locations.

Video footage also shows government forces inspecting identity papers, personal belongings, and electronic devices, applying pressure on civilians and deliberately disrupting daily movement, according to residents.

Local sources reported that dozens of young men and women—particularly university students—have been abducted in recent days following such searches. The most recent documented case involved 18-year-old Mohammad Fadel Mohammad, from Sharran, in the occupied countryside of Afrin.

The presence of these new checkpoints has caused significant traffic congestion and movement delays in the affected areas.

It is noteworthy that on Thursday, the Transitional Government forces had removed earthen barriers from three main roads, reopening vehicle access to Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh after local resistance against attempts to impose a blockade. However, they simultaneously increased their checkpoint presence along reopened routes under their control.

a.k

ANHA