Rudaw
January 26, 2026
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The spokesperson of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) told Rudaw on Tuesday that Damascus-backed armed factions continue to violate the ceasefire in northeastern Syria (Rojava), launching attacks against their forces under the guise of “Arab tribes.”
“But the bulk of their attacks have been defeated,” said Roksan Mohammed. “In the village of Safa alone, 40 of their militants were killed.” The village of Safa is located in northeastern Hasaka province.
The YPJ is a key all-female Kurdish force affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and its allied armed groups have launched a large-scale offensive aimed at retaking areas in eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka that had been under SDF control for nearly a decade.
A US-brokered ceasefire, extended on Saturday for an additional 15 days, is intended to facilitate the transfer of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees from SDF-run prisons in Syria to Iraq. The extension follows an initial four-day truce announced last week.
Despite the agreement, SDF forces remain on high alert along all five frontlines in Hasaka province, amid sporadic attacks by Syrian Arab Army–affiliated groups during the early days of the truce.
The ceasefire follows a major offensive launched in mid-January by the Syrian Arab Army and its allied factions, targeting eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka—one of the most significant military escalations in recent months.
The SDF, the de facto military force in Rojava and a key ally of the US-led Coalition, played a crucial role in the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019. Since then, the Kurdish-led forces have maintained control over the areas they liberated, much of which has now been recaptured by Damascus and its allied forces.
Speaking about the latest military developments, Mohammed said, “Ever since the ceasefire was announced, the HTS gangs and Daesh have been violating it. Their plot is to invade West Kurdistan [Rojava], but we will not let them - unless they go over our dead bodies.”
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), now dissolved, was previously led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who launched a swift offensive that ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa was appointed Syria’s interim president in late January 2025.
Mohammed added that Damascus-backed armed factions are violating the ceasefire under the guise of "Arab tribes” as a tactic to advance toward territories under SDF control.
“They have failed to make any advances,” she said.
Regarding the Syrian Arab Army, the YPJ spokesperson said its forces are stationed approximately 30 kilometers from Hasaka province.
“The force is immense, but they have not been able to take control of any area,” she added.
Rojava condemns renewed attacks by ISIS-linked militants, ‘massacre’ of Kurdish family
Rudaw
January 26, 2026
January 26, 2026
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Northeast Syria (Rojava) is facing ongoing attacks by armed factions that are “ideologically and organizationally” linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), the enclave’s Kurdish-led administration warned on Monday, condemning a “horrific massacre” committed against a Kurdish family earlier that day and censuring the international community’s silence regarding repeated violations against civilians in Rojava.
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) said, “As the liberation anniversary of the city of Kobane from the terrorist ISIS organization approaches… our region today faces extremely dangerous circumstances, as it is subjected to ongoing attacks by factions that include elements and groups linked ideologically and organizationally to ISIS.”
The DAANES added, “These attacks are nothing but an attempt to reproduce terrorism in new forms and to complete what ISIS failed to achieve militarily,” noting that “the resistance of Kobane… was a clear declaration that the will of the people is stronger than terrorism, and that the project of darkness represented by ISIS has no future.”
Kobane holds deep significance for the Kurdish community. In 2014, the city became the epicenter of a brutal ISIS assault, as the group controlled vast swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. By mid-September, ISIS militants had captured village after village, tightening their grip around Kobane and forcing thousands of civilians to flee to neighboring Turkey.
With support from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reinforcements from the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) eventually repelled the militants in January 2015.
Of note, the YPG represents the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which serve as the de facto army of Rojava and key ally of the US-led Coalition, playing a key role in ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However, since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas held by the SDF in eastern Aleppo, as well as parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.
The DAANES reported on Monday that these groups carried out a “horrific massacre against a Kurdish family in the village of Kharab Ashk” near Kobane, condemning it as “a flagrant violation of all moral and human values.”
The Rojava administration also affirmed that “military attacks” by Damascus-backed armed factions in Kobane and the Jazira region - including areas east of the Euphrates in Hasaka province - “are still ongoing,” despite the mid-January ceasefire announced by Damascus.
Earlier, the SDF accused Damascus-backed militants of carrying out “a massacre against the Bozan family” in a village southeast of Kobane, in which five family members were killed and five others injured by shelling.
The DAANES condemned “international silence regarding these repeated crimes and violations” against civilians in Rojava, reaffirming “its continued commitment to defending its people, its democratic project, and the values of coexistence, no matter the challenges.”
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) said, “As the liberation anniversary of the city of Kobane from the terrorist ISIS organization approaches… our region today faces extremely dangerous circumstances, as it is subjected to ongoing attacks by factions that include elements and groups linked ideologically and organizationally to ISIS.”
The DAANES added, “These attacks are nothing but an attempt to reproduce terrorism in new forms and to complete what ISIS failed to achieve militarily,” noting that “the resistance of Kobane… was a clear declaration that the will of the people is stronger than terrorism, and that the project of darkness represented by ISIS has no future.”
Kobane holds deep significance for the Kurdish community. In 2014, the city became the epicenter of a brutal ISIS assault, as the group controlled vast swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. By mid-September, ISIS militants had captured village after village, tightening their grip around Kobane and forcing thousands of civilians to flee to neighboring Turkey.
With support from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reinforcements from the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) eventually repelled the militants in January 2015.
Of note, the YPG represents the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which serve as the de facto army of Rojava and key ally of the US-led Coalition, playing a key role in ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However, since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas held by the SDF in eastern Aleppo, as well as parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.
The DAANES reported on Monday that these groups carried out a “horrific massacre against a Kurdish family in the village of Kharab Ashk” near Kobane, condemning it as “a flagrant violation of all moral and human values.”
The Rojava administration also affirmed that “military attacks” by Damascus-backed armed factions in Kobane and the Jazira region - including areas east of the Euphrates in Hasaka province - “are still ongoing,” despite the mid-January ceasefire announced by Damascus.
Earlier, the SDF accused Damascus-backed militants of carrying out “a massacre against the Bozan family” in a village southeast of Kobane, in which five family members were killed and five others injured by shelling.
The DAANES condemned “international silence regarding these repeated crimes and violations” against civilians in Rojava, reaffirming “its continued commitment to defending its people, its democratic project, and the values of coexistence, no matter the challenges.”
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