YPG/SDF terrorist group prevents people from leaving Aleppo, use civilians as human shields

• Bombardment in area continues, humanitarian situation extremely dire, Syrians who managed to flee tell Anadolu

ALEPPO/ISTANBUL

The YPG/SDF terrorist organization is preventing tens of thousands of people from leaving Deir Hafir, east of Syria's Aleppo, in an attempt to use civilians as human shields, Syrian civilians who managed to flee the area told Anadolu.

The civilians called on the international community to pressure the group and help ensure the safe evacuation of people from the region.

As the Syrian army prepares an operation against the YPG/SDF elements along the Deir Hafir–Maskanah line west of the Euphrates River, it is waiting for civilians to exit through a humanitarian corridor opened for safe evacuation.

While YPG/SDF has blocked exit routes, some civilians have managed to flee through alternative paths, leaving the area with plans to return to their homes after the operation.

Mohammed Abu Musa, who escaped the region with his family by driving through agricultural fields, said that they had gone to Deir Hafir for medical treatment but were forced to spend the night there.

He said that bombardment continued throughout the night, severely affecting their psychological state.

Musa noted that they were traveling to attend a condolence ceremony for a relative in Aleppo, and were able to leave the area through a dirt road on the Al-Malikiyah side, eventually reaching a safe area with the help of aid workers.

Fetayim Melloush, 45, who fled Deir Hafir with her husband and four children, said YPG/SDF did not allow civilians to leave the area.

She noted that although many people wanted to flee, they were prevented from doing so, adding that they did not know where to go and were forced to leave their homes and belongings behind.

Melloush said they felt psychological relief after leaving the area, but emphasized that many civilians remain trapped in Deir Hafir.

Her husband, 72-year-old Ahmed Hayik, said YPG/SDF had set up barricades on roads, completely blocking vehicle and pedestrian movement.

He added that they were forced to move through farmlands at the back of the area, with their vehicle struggling to pass through the rough terrain.

'Either you stay here, or we will shoot'

Another civilian who fled Deir Hafir, Mustafa al-Hassun, said the group was trying to keep civilians in the area by force, adding that YPG/SDF members threatened them by pointing weapons at them.

“Either you stay here, or we will shoot,” said the terrorist group members, forcing his family to escape through smuggling routes, recalled Hassun.

Hassun said many families wanted to leave but were unable to do so out of fear of being killed by the group, adding that the routes were filled with landmines and that they were threatened with death even as they attempted to leave in the morning.

He said that their goal was to live in a safe area under government control, whether in Manbij, Aleppo, or elsewhere.

Another civilian, Bilal Hassun, said the state had designated the area as a military zone and identified routes for humanitarian exits and evacuations, but YPG/SDF blocked these roads and prevented civilians from crossing into government-controlled areas.

He said they reached the airport area via smuggling routes, having to pass through checkpoints and use dangerous, mine-laden paths.

Hassun stressed that thousands of civilians are still waiting to leave Deir Hafir, describing the humanitarian situation as extremely dire, with trapped civilians in urgent need of intervention by international aid organizations.