Andrew Sage

The SDF, which is only loosely affiliated with the PKK though, said, well, you know, not us, we will continue to fight.

So Western governments, particularly the United States and its allies, appeared willing to accept this transformation of the HDS.

They calculated that a fragmented and internally weak authority could be more easily steered to serve their long-term geopolitical interests.

So the HDS Syrian government had a little press tour, but within Syria, they moved pretty predictably.

engaging in violent repression, displacement, and massacre of the Alawite, the Druze, and the Kurdish communities in Syria.

And for the Kurdish-initiated project of Rojava, the rise of the HDS government would mark the beginning of an end.

Greater isolation and a renewed pressure from within and outside of Syria's borders.

After consolidating power, the HDS government pushed into the Kurdish regions and encircled Kobani, the historic border city that once symbolized resistance to ISIS.

So for days, coordinated attacks targeted Rojava itself, threatening not only the survival of Kurdish self-government, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians as food, water and electricity were deliberately cut off and the city placed under siege.

The violence had been especially devastating in Aleppo.

From early January, the Kurdish districts of Sheikh Maksud and Ashrafiyah became the focus of sustained assaults by Turkish-backed militias and units aligned with the Syrian transitional government.

Okay, thanks for that context.

Yeah, of course.

So, civilian infrastructure was systematically hit, you had homes, schools, mosques, and public buildings being shelled, while abductions, torture, and executions were reported near medical facilities.

The bombing of Zalid Fekir Hospital devastated the local healthcare system.

And with mountain casualties and entire neighborhoods emptied, local councils in the SDF agreed to a ceasefire and withdrawal on the 11th of January, 2026 to allow evacuations.

More than 300,000 people fled, many seeking refuge in areas still controlled by the autonomous administration, but fighting expanded eastward.

Jihadist forces began targeting Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and critical infrastructure like the Tishrin Dam.

Prisons holding thousands of jihadist detainees were located in these areas, and amid the chaos, Islamist fighters escaped, ISIS symbols reappeared, and memorials to Kurdish fighters were destroyed.

Yeah.