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Fierce clashes broke out overnight in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo between the forces of the Islamist-led Interim Government and Kurdish forces affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Tensions between the Interim Government and the SDF have been building up for weeks over the failure to implement the integration agreement signed last March. However, both sides have been amassing their forces near the town of Deir Hafter, some 40 kilometers to the east of Aleppo.
The situation in Aleppo itself remained calm up until October 6, when government forces blocked all entrances to the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, which are under the de-facto control of the SDF.
Sources close to the Interim Government justified the blockade by claiming that Kurdish forces were digging up tunnels from the neighborhoods to nearby areas. Still, the blockade led to protests by civilians in both Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh which quickly escalated into clashes with government forces.
The SDF held the Interim Government responsible for the clashes, which it said began after repeated attacks by government forces.
“We hold the Damascus government fully and directly responsible for the continued stifling siege and systematic violations against civilians, as well as for the recent dangerous escalation, which exacerbates the suffering of the population, threatens stability in the region, and reveals its deliberate disregard for people’s lives and dignity,” the group said in a statement released by its media center.
From its side, the Syrian Ministry of Defense issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to the March agreement with the SDF, and stating that it had no intention to launch a military operation against the group.
Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh were targeted with mortars, heavy machine guns and drones. Government forces also brought in reinforcements, including infantry fighting vehicles. Despite being overpowered, Kurdish forces held onto their positions until an unconditional ceasefire was reached early on October 7.
The SDF-linked Hawar News Agency said that one man was killed and over 60 others were wounded in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera reported, citing a Syrian official, that three security personnel were killed and several others were wounded in the clashes.
Later on October 7, it was reported that a senior SDF delegation headed by the group’s commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi had arrived in Damascus for extensive talks with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other senior officials from the Interim Government. The talks are reported to be mediated by the U.S.
The failure to reach an understanding during the meeting could reignite clashes between the two sides in Aleppo and other areas along the Euphrates River in northern and eastern Syria. The coming days could see the start of a major battle or a political breakthrough.
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i’m more interested in whether emma assad is even alive and whether hassan and maher assad volunteer teachers at purtler’s military school?
if putler had never intervened in syria, the people would now respect assad and within a year would have thrown al qaeda out of syria and back into iraq, where the locals would have caught them and handed them over to the hague.
first the alawites, then the druze, then the christians and now the kurds? putler and dump should be locked up until death for supporting genocidal jolani.
as expected, this is the inevitable punch-up. the question is what is turkey going to do?
censorship censorship censorship censorship censorship censorship isn’t sf censorship wonderful
isis fighting the kurds, while israel doing them from behind.