Syria imposes curfew in Aleppo districts as army, SDF clashes intensify

Authorities says curfew volition beryllium successful spot ‘until further notice’ amid clashes betwixt Syrian service and Kurdish-led forces.

Authorities successful Syria person imposed a curfew successful respective neighbourhoods of Aleppo city, arsenic clashes intensified betwixt the country’s subject and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Aleppo Internal Security Command said successful a connection connected Thursday that a curfew was imposed “until further notice” successful the neighbourhoods of Ashrafieh, Sheikh Maqsoud, Bani Zeid, al-Siryan, al-Hullok and al-Midan.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Thousands fly warring successful Syria’s Aleppo
• list 2 of 3Thousands fly Aleppo arsenic clashes betwixt Syria’s service and SDF escalate
• list 3 of 3Al Jazeera newsman takes screen arsenic shots ringing retired successful Aleppo

“This measurement aims to guarantee the information of residents and is portion of the ongoing information procedures to support bid and forestall immoderate violations that could endanger lives and property,” the bid said successful a connection shared by Syria’s authorities quality bureau SANA.

“All question is strictly prohibited wrong the neighborhoods covered by this curfew during its enforcement period, with nary exceptions.”

More than 100,000 civilians person fled their homes successful Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud since warring broke retired betwixt the Syrian subject and the SDF earlier this week, the manager of the media section successful Aleppo told Al Jazeera.

Rana Issa, 43, whose household fled the Ashrafieh neighbourhood nether sniper occurrence connected Thursday, told the AFP quality bureau that “many radical privation to leave” but are acrophobic of being shot.

“We’ve gone done precise hard times,” Issa said. “My children were terrified.”

The clashes travel arsenic talks connected however to instrumentality a March 2025 agreement to integrate the SDF, which has controlled ample swaths of territory successful Syria’s northbound and northeast, into the country’s authorities institutions faltered.

At slightest 22 radical person been killed and 173 others wounded successful Aleppo this week, arsenic the Syrian subject accused the SDF of targeting civilian areas with artillery and mortar shells.

The Kurdish-led radical has denied the allegations, saying this week’s casualties were caused by “indiscriminate” artillery and rocket shelling by factions aligned with the authorities successful Damascus.

Late connected Thursday, the Syrian Ministry of Interior said authorities forces had begun deploying successful the Ashrafieh country “following the withdrawal of equipped groups affiliated with the SDF”.

“The units person commenced their duties to support civilians and forestall immoderate violations oregon signs of disorder, successful coordination with the Army units deployed successful the neighborhood,” the ministry said successful a connection shared by SANA.

Reporting from an Aleppo infirmary connected Thursday evening, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the dependable of dense shelling could beryllium heard from the installation arsenic aesculapian workers struggled to dainty wounded patients.

“The concern is escalating further and further,” said Serdar, adding that Aleppo is experiencing the “fiercest” warring since the removal of longtime Syrian person Bashar al-Assad successful December 2024.

“We’re proceeding artillery shelling, 1 aft another,” helium said.

‘Daunting task’ of reunification

SDF commandant Mazloum Abdi (also known arsenic Mazloum Kobani) said the unit successful Aleppo has undermined talks with the authorities successful Damascus, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“The deployment of tanks and artillery successful Aleppo neighbourhoods, the bombing and displacement of unarmed civilians, and attempts to tempest Kurdish neighbourhoods during the dialog process undermine the chances of reaching understandings,” Abdi said successful a statement.

Armenak Tokmajyan, a nonresident student astatine the Carnegie Middle East Center deliberation tank, told Al Jazeera that the reintegration of Kurdish-led forces into Syrian authorities institutions “cannot hap conscionable with force”.

Instead, Tokmajyan said al-Sharaa needs a multipronged attack to bring equipped groups into the fold, including an inclusive nationalist model outlining the absorption that post-Assad Syria volition take.

“A batch of these equipped groups don’t privation to laic down their weapons due to the fact that they don’t cognize what this authorities volition look like,” helium said.

“To beryllium honest, the cardinal authorities is facing a daunting and precise hard task … to extremity the fragmentation, and with that, extremity the instability successful Syria and make a comparatively unified country.”