The Internal Security Forces (ISF) in Aleppo said in a statement on Saturday that the so-called “Ministry of Defense” of the Damascus government claimed that a ceasefire and a halt to fighting have taken place in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, in a blatant attempt to mislead public opinion.
“We categorically affirm that these claims are entirely false, as militias affiliated with the Damascus government continue to shell the civilian “Khaled Fajr” Hospital using tanks and unmanned aerial vehicles, resulting in numerous civilians being injured, in a flagrant violation of all international humanitarian laws and norms,” the ISF said.
The statement continued: “While these parties issue their misleading statements, our forces repelled a violent attack launched by the militias on the western sector of the neighborhood, resulting in the destruction of an armored military vehicle belonging to them, amid urban warfare in which our fighters are engaging with the utmost courage, in defense of their people and neighborhoods.”
The Internal Security Forces pointed out that, “These false claims expose the true criminal nature of the Damascus government militias, which have long relied on lies as a cover for their crimes, repeating the very same approach they employed during their crimes in the coastal regions and in Sweida, including the shelling and targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Internal Security Forces hold the Damascus government and its militias fully responsible for these crimes, and called on the international community and human rights organizations to “break their silence and take urgent action to halt these violations and hold those responsible accountable.”
In the meantime, ISF said their fighters managed to destroy three tanks belonging to militias affiliated with the Damascus government while they were shelling Khaled Fajr Hospital in the western section of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.
Urban warfare continues in the area amid intense tank shelling and direct targeting by Turkish Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles, which continue to strike the hospital crowded with wounded civilians, in a dangerous escalation that threatens the lives of civilians and medical personnel, ISF stated.