Sen. Jim Risch Demands Accountability After Alleged Abuses in Aleppo Amid Ceasefire

Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the Syrian government to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for alleged human-rights violations by elements of Syria’s armed forces during recent operations in Aleppo.

Risch wrote on X that he is "gravely concerned about the conduct of armed forces in Aleppo over the past week" and called on Damascus to ensure that Syria's security forces protect citizens' inherent rights rather than infringe upon them.

"I am gravely concerned about the conduct of armed forces in Aleppo, Syria, over the past week and urge the government to hold accountable those who committed these egregious acts." — Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), X post

The comments followed social-media reports, including from the Syrian Network, alleging the desecration of a woman's body in Aleppo after she was reportedly thrown from a high floor by a member of the Syrian Army. These allegations are serious and remain subject to independent verification.

Columns of smoke rise from the site of artillery shelling that targeted the area near Aleppo's Abdelrahman Mosque on Jan. 8, 2026, amid intense clashes between government forces and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces. Syria's military warned civilians in two besieged Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo to leave on Dec. 8, as it prepared to conduct a fresh wave of strikes targeting Kurdish positions. Thousands have already fled the area following clashes between the army and Kurdish-led forces that have killed more than a dozen people.

Ceasefire and Evacuations

After several days of heavy clashes, forces aligned with the Syrian government — reportedly directed on the ground by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a figure various outlets have linked to extremist groups in the past — seized the predominantly Kurdish districts of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo. Those neighborhoods had been occupied by units associated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

International mediation reportedly produced a ceasefire and an evacuation agreement. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said on X that mediation secured the cessation of attacks and enabled the evacuation of the dead, wounded, stranded civilians and fighters from Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood to areas in North and East Syria (Rojava), according to Rudaw.

Soldiers of the Syrian army in the entrance of Sheik Maksoud neighborhood during continuing fighting between the Syrian forces and the SDF on Jan. 10, 2026 in Aleppo, Syria. A ceasefire announced yesterday did not take hold as fighting continued between the Syrian army and Kurdish fighters in the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo. Overnight, the army announced that it had completed a security sweep of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.

U.S. and Regional Responses

CENTCOM’s commander appealed for "maximum restraint" from all parties in and around Aleppo. Tom Barrack — identified in media reports as an American envoy involved in Syria-related talks — said he met with Syrian officials after the ceasefire and that Damascus reaffirmed its commitment to a March 2025 integration framework meant to incorporate SDF forces into national institutions while preserving Kurdish rights.

Analysts, Casualties and Warnings

Rebel forces seized Mengh Airbase and the city of Tel Rifaat in the Aleppo countryside on Dec. 1, 2024, following clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian regime forces. (Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Kurdish studies analyst Wladimir van Wilgenburg told Fox News Digital that Kurds suspect Turkey is pressing Damascus to push Kurdish forces out of Aleppo to weaken the SDF’s negotiating position. He said Ankara prefers individual integration of SDF fighters into the Syrian army, while the Kurds favor decentralization and Damascus seeks centralized control.

The Aleppo health directorate reported at least 24 civilian deaths and more than 120 wounded during five days of fighting. The SDF’s General Command warned that continued attacks on civilians could have "serious repercussions" beyond the two neighborhoods and risk plunging Syria into wider conflict.

Humanitarian, Political And Minority Concerns

FILE: Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), meets with the Raqa civil council in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on Nov. 1, 2020.

The report cites accusations that forces under al-Sharaa’s authority have been implicated in sectarian violence and abuses against minority communities. The SDF denies that Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh posed any military threat and says allegations of SDF offensive intent were used as a pretext for siege, shelling and attacks on civilians.

Sinam Mohamad, the Syrian Democratic Council's representative to the U.S., urged a decentralized political settlement to help prevent future conflict and lamented foreign influence in Syria, specifically citing continued Turkish sway over Damascus. She also raised concerns about whether women’s combat units in the SDF would be preserved under any integration plan, noting Damascus’s opposition to women’s units and pointing to examples such as Israel where women serve in national forces.

Reporting And Verification

Fox News Digital reported it sought comment from the Turkish embassy in Washington and the U.S. State Department. Many of the most serious allegations referenced in this article remain contested and should be independently verified by impartial investigators and human-rights monitors.