A video clip that was widely circulated on social media on January 22 showed a Kurdish fighter filming himself in front of 21 corpses after evacuating a prison in Ain al-Arab Kobani in Syria. For its part, the Syrian Democratic Forces acknowledged the authenticity of these photos, but considered that the killed people died after clashes. This is denied by our observer, who was released from the same prison.

Published on: 05/02/2026 - 17:24 Last updated: 05/02/2026 - 17:27

Warning: Some statements in this article may be shocking

This relates to a video clip that was posted on Facebook on January 22, by an account whose owner resides in Germany, before it was deleted. The video recording shows shocking scenes. If a man who appears to belong to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an organization whose members are mostly Kurdish, takes a selfie in front of lifeless bodies lying in a straight line on the ground. The man was laughing and carrying a rifle on his shoulder. This man in particular says that one of the SDF members, who likely participated in this massacre, “talked sarcastically about booby-trapping the bodies before withdrawing” with the aim of exploding them later. A second video clip shows the bodies being shot at, without us being able to determine the source of the shooting.

These photos documented a mass killing that took place on January 22 near the city of Ayn al-Arab Kobani, which is located in northeastern Syria. According to a local newspaper on Facebook called “Radar Sarrin,” and video clips circulated on the same site, at least 21 young men were arrested before being randomly executed during an operation launched by fighters in the “SDF” forces against prisoners who had just been released by the organization, from the “Yedi Qawi” prison near Kobani.

15 bodies recovered

On January 19, battles took place between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the Bir al-Aama area, which is located near the Tishreen Dam, south of the city of Kobani. At that time, the SDF forces were in the process of withdrawing from Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa during the month of January. In this context of the retreat of the SDF forces in the direction of Kobani with large military equipment, the "Yedi Qawi" prison, located in the south of the city, was opened in circumstances that are still ambiguous, which led to the escape of hundreds of detainees. These are the events that occurred before the scenes we see in the photos of bodies lying on the side of the road that were published on January 22, 2026.

According to a local news page on Facebook, the Syrian Civil Defense was able to recover the bodies of 15 victims in the massacre that occurred near the city of Kobani in northeastern Syria, and handed them over to the local authorities. The bodies were transferred to the National Hospital in the city of Manbij, where the families of the victims were able to receive them and organize funerals.

Mukhtar (a pseudonym) confirms that he was detained in “Yedi Qawi” prison before those conversations. He conveyed to us a copy of his release certificate that the Kurdish Autonomous Administration handed him, proving that he spent a period in that prison.

Always according to Mukhtar, the events extended over several days, between January 19 and 22, 2026. Mukhtar spoke about a very overcrowded prison, where there were hundreds of detainees, most of whom were Arabs. He adds:

They told us about a general amnesty. However, they began releasing only Kurdish detainees. In front of us, who numbered about a hundred people, they asked her to wait and told us, “Your turn will come,” and many believed that.

On January 21, tension escalated among the detainees, who began burning the prison’s contents (sheets, mattresses, and beds), and smoke spread throughout the building.

We were suffocating. And people were shouting. At some point, SDF forces opened the doors. Not to release us, but to avoid everyone dying inside. I can say that between 300 and 400 people, including me, left the prison and distributed to the surrounding fields. The groups separated, some headed to the Sarin area and others, numbering about 30 people, headed to Kobani.

“They fell before me.”

On the afternoon of January 21, 2026, according to our observer Mukhtar, the prisoners escaped in an area about 1.5 km away, and Mukhtar confirms that several SDF military vehicles caught them. This testimony proves that a first series of random executions occurred before the one we see in the video.

They started shooting into the air. People were running in all directions. Then they shot us. I saw people falling in front of me. They had nothing, no phones or weapons. They fell in front of, four or five people died on the spot while others were injured. Terror was the master of the situation. I succeeded in hiding in a field and then was arrested at an SDF checkpoint. They handcuffed living people, including me. We were lying on the asphalt on our stomachs. Some soldiers wanted to kill us there."

Mukhtar confirms that women among the fighters were present at the scene and temporarily prevented the execution of the group I was in. Collections were carried to a destination unknown to me. The group I was in was returned to Yedi Mawa prison.

“It was about revenge and ethnic discrimination.”

“We were finally released on the evening of January 22, 2026. After our release, I headed to Ayn ​​al-Arab (Kobani), while another group of 27 people headed to the Sarin area.” Most of the people among the group of 27 detainees were killed. At that moment, I was at a checkpoint at the southern entrance to the city of Kobani when I learned this. I saw wounded people arriving at the place, and I recognized faces that appeared in the video clip. These killings were not a measure taken to prevent escape. Rather, it was an act of revenge and ethnic discrimination with a barrage of insults. The soldiers were telling the prisoners, "In any case, you will die." Four people and I are cruising after finding a refueling station on the road. We were greeted by its owner. Three days later, he transferred us to areas outside Kurdish control.

Mukhtar believes that the total number of people killed on January 22 ranged between 40 and 45 people. He added, "This number far exceeds the 21 bodies that appeared in the circulating video clip, since others were executed elsewhere."

What does the video show?

For its part, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) acknowledged the authenticity of these photos, but confirmed that the victims were armed fighters who were killed during clashes. This is a story that was refuted by our observer’s testimony, and the photos make it doubtful, as we saw in the video clip bodies lying in a straight line without weapons visible near them and they were wearing civilian clothes.

For Adnan Al-Hussein, a journalist who lives in the area, the elements are crucial. “Everything indicates a safe area,” he says. “If it was really a matter of fighting, we would have seen the aftermath. Here, we see men being gathered, controlled, and then killed.”

“I offer my testimony for those who were killed.”

Mukhtar confirms that just talking makes him vulnerable to risks and adds:

"I hesitated about it. However, if I remain silent, they will die again. I am not asking for international justice. I just want the truth to be told. I bear witness for those who died."

While the process of identifying the bodies in the city of Manbij continues, there is still an unanswered question regarding the exact number of victims and who killed them.

On Facebook, the newspaper "Rada Sarin", for its part, published an obituary for two young men who were said to have been killed, namely Ismail Al-Hassani, known as Abu Halab Aseel, near Qubba, and Abbas Al-Hussein Aseel, from the village of Al-Abdakliyya in the Sarin area. These two names match the people mentioned by our observer.

To view this content from Facebook it is necessary to allow the collection of views and Facebook ads.

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.