70-year-old Fatima al-Batal was killed with her son, 38-year-old Jassem Mohammed al-Hasan al-Luji during a joint airdrop-ground operation allegedly conducted by US-led Coalition forces in conjunction with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on 23 December, 2025. The operation reportedly occurred during the early morning in Jadida Kahit, Syria. Reports diverge on whether Fatima’s younger son, 27-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed al-Hasan al-Luji, was also killed or solely arrested.
While the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “the operation targeted wanted individuals suspected of belonging to ISIS cells,” and that “the two brothers were working within ISIS cells,” other sources decried this claim as fraudulent. Shaam News reported that those killed “worked in civilian professions within the town and had no known connection to military or security activities,” adding that this had subsequently “fuel[ed] resentment” amongst residents of the town. Facebook user Muhammad Uthman specified that the brothers “were simple civilians working in a small bakery in the village” and again stressed that the two “had never been affiliated with any military or political group.” Facebook user “Raqqa, our alternative home” reported that the family had owned a bakery. Naher Media reported that the SDF had entered the Al-Luji home “intending to arrest one of [Ibrahim’s] sons, Ahmed.” Not finding him, the patrol had “opened fire on the homeowner.”
Shaam News further reported that the family was targeted because of “a family member wanted in connection with previous events in the al-Karama district last year.” Muhammad Uthman was more detailed: “This was because the young men prevented celebrations of the regime’s collapse before he moved to government-controlled areas and joined the New Army.” Facebook user Ahmad Alsaleh was similarly dismissive of claims the brothers had Islamic State links, instead denouncing the “SDF’s use of the accusation of ISIS affiliation to attack, kill, and arrest civilians simply for opposing the SDF.”
Multiple sources, including Habari Raqawi, Muhammad Uthman and Raqqa TV, reported that Ibrahim al-Luji had been arrested by the SDF, not killed. Facebook user “Eye on the Syrian Arabian Peninsula” also reported Ibrahim al-Luji was arrested, but described him as a “member of the Syrian Army who was on leave visiting his family.” Syria 360 reported that subsequently published but “unconfirmed” reports stated that Ibrahim al-Luji had also been killed.
Many sources reported that the SDF had subsequently “abducted [the] bodies” of Fatima and Jassem al-Luji. Shaam News reported that “the bodies of the victims were handed over to a local dignitary in the al-Karama district, in preparation for their burial.” Facebook user “Raqqa, our alternative home” included a video of funeral proceedings. In it, three shrouds are visible, suggesting that Ibrahim al-Luji had indeed been killed.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the operation to the International Coalition and SDF.