The Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) released a statement drawing attention to the worsening humanitarian conditions in northern Syria and calling for international action amid ongoing attacks by Turkish-backed mercenaries and HTS-ISIS militias affiliated with the Syrian transitional government.
The KNK statement on Monday includes the following:
“The attacks that began on 6 January 2026 in the Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo represent not an isolated outbreak of violence, but the opening phase of a long-prepared military and political campaign aimed at dismantling Kurdish existence and self-rule in Syria. While formally conducted under the banner of the Syrian Transitional Government, these operations are executed by jihadist militias whose strategic coordination, logistical supply, and political backing are decisively provided by the Turkish state. The silence, hesitation, or indirect acquiescence of international actors (including the anti-ISIS coalition) —particularly those that once designated the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as a strategic partner—has transformed this assault from a regional conflict into a profound indictment of global moral and political failure.
Over the past weeks, the humanitarian consequences have reached catastrophic levels. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forcibly displaced, hundreds have been killed, and entire communities have been deprived of access to food, clean water, medical care, fuel, and electricity amid harsh winter conditions. Critical civilian infrastructure has been systematically targeted. The city of Kobanê, now under heavy military attack, several civilians killed and a deliberate siege, faces an unfolding humanitarian disaster and an acute risk of mass atrocity. These actions constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, while the international community’s posture of merely “monitoring with concern” amounts, in practice, to complicity through inaction.
The jihadist armed groups loyal to Ahmed al-Sharaa have repeatedly violated announced truces through targeted attacks, provocations, and cross-border actions, using ceasefires solely to consolidate territorial control and prepare for further escalation.
We therefore urgently call upon the international community to take the following steps:
1. An Immediate, Credible, and Internationally Monitored Ceasefire: An international monitoring mission must be deployed without delay to document conditions and violations on the ground in real time.
2. The Lifting of Sieges and Establishment of Permanent Humanitarian Corridors: Secure and internationally guaranteed humanitarian corridors must be established to all besieged areas, particularly Kobanê.
3. A Political Process Recognizing Kurdish Self-Defense and Self-Governance: An internationally guaranteed political process must be re-launched that formally recognizes the Kurdish people’s right to self-defense and democratic self-governance within a decentralized Syria.
The solidarity shown by the global public has been a vital source of hope and deserves sincere recognition. Today, while the situation may not yet meet the highest legal thresholds of international crimes, it is clearly an ongoing massacre with an immediate and grave risk of further mass atrocity. This danger is real and urgent.”