As a result of attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and paramilitary groups supported by Turkey on the neighbourhoods of Şêxmeqsûd (Sheikh Maqsoud) and Eşrefiyê (Ashrafieh), dozens of citizens lost their lives and 118 civilians were injured. Heyva Sor a Kurd, which sought to reach the neighbourhoods under attack to provide medical services to the wounded from the first day of the attacks, was held up in Dêr Hafir (Dayr Hafir) for days.  Three medical workers belonging to Heyva Sor a Kurd, which had two medical points in the neighbourhoods before the attacks, were abducted by the groups carrying out the attacks. 

 

Hediye Ebdullah, Co-chair of Heyva Sor a Kurd, stated that the attacks on Kurdish neighbourhoods were brutal, saying, "What happened in Şêxmeqsûd and Eşrefiyê was inhumane. It was an extremely brutal and immoral situation." 

 

Noting that there were two health points before the attacks Hediye Ebdullah said: "They had been working there for years. When the attacks happened, they continued to carry out their duties, saying, 'We will continue to be here at the cost of our lives'. They saved the lives of more than ten people during the attacks. During this process, three of our healthcare worker friends fell into the hands of HTS. These colleagues were simply doing their humanitarian duty."

 

'TREATMENT OF 118 INJURED CONTINUES IN HOSPITALS'

 

Stating that 118 citizens were injured in the attacks and that healthcare services there were inadequate, she said: "We have appealed to all national and international institutions. We sent a medical team from North and East Syria. We set out to reach the neighbourhoods under attack. When we reached Dêr Hafir, they did not open a corridor for us and we were kept there for three days.”

 

She stated that as a result of their efforts, they were able to retrieve 118 wounded on the sixth day of the attacks, adding, "When we retrieved the wounded, we distributed them to hospitals in cities such as Tebqa, Rakka, and Hesekê according to their health conditions. We also sent 10 wounded to Başûr (South Kurdistan) due to their conditions. Their health conditions are currently being monitored by our medical staff."

 

'WE SET UP A MOBILE HEALTH CENTRE'

 

Hediye Ebdullah said that some civilians also arrived with the wounded: "About 100 families also arrived with the wounded. Some families settled with their relatives, and we placed others in the camp in Raqqa. As Heyva Sor a Kurd, we opened a mobile clinic. This is because these families have children, and they had been left out in the cold. Some of them had fallen ill. We are currently monitoring the health status of all of them." 

 

'AN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED'

 

Drawing attention to the crimes against humanity committed in the neighbourhoods under attack, Hediye Ebdullah concluded: "Many war crimes were committed in the neighbourhoods under attack. Civilians were directly targeted. Hospitals were bombed and health workers were arrested. An international investigation must be launched into what happened in the Şêxmeqsûd and Eşrefiyê neighbourhoods. Those responsible for what happened there must be held accountable." 

 

MA / Omer Akin