Erbil protesters rally against military escalation in Syria’s Rojava

Shafaq News– Erbil

Hundreds of residents and civil society activists gathered in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, on Sunday to protest recent military escalation in Kurdish areas of northeast Syria.

Shafaq News correspondent reported that demonstrators assembled at central sites, including near the Erbil Citadel, carrying banners and chanting calls to halt the violence in the Rojava* regions. They urged the international community and the United Nations to act urgently to protect civilians.

Similar actions took place earlier this week in the city, with residents, activists, and Syrian Kurds holding sit-ins outside the UN mission, near the US Consulate, and in Erbil’s city center.

Clashes erupted last week between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of Aleppo, before spreading to Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor, and Hasakah. Despite a ceasefire announced on January 18 and later extended by 15 days, fighting has persisted, with the United Nations reporting the displacement of more than 130,000 people.

*Rojava refers to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), a self-governing region in northern and northeastern Syria that emerged during the civil war after 2012 and is secured mainly by the SDF.

Read more: Syria’s calm: An end to threat or a start of a complex security phase for Iraq?