One Civilian Killed, 17 Injured as Clashes Intensify Between SDF and Pro-Government Factions in Aleppo

Reuters

Aleppo city.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Monday that one civilian was killed and seventeen others were injured during an attack carried out by pro-government factions in the city of Aleppo, amid mutual accusations between the SDF and Syria’s Ministries of Defence and Interior over responsibility for the latest escalation.
 
According to the statement, civilian Fadwa Muhammad al-Kurdi, 57, was killed after being wounded in an attack by armed factions of the Damascus government on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods. The number of wounded has also risen to seventeen.
 
The statement added that these factions reportedly launched the attack following an assault on the Duar al-Shayhan checkpoint earlier in the day, which led to injuries to two members of the Internal Security Forces – Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported on Monday that the SDF launched attacks against Syrian security force positions near the Sheihan and Lairmoun roundabouts in Aleppo.

In a strongly worded statement, the SDF categorically rejected allegations by Syria’s security and military institutions that its forces had targeted neighbourhoods in Aleppo. The SDF stressed that, under the terms of the 1 April agreement, its units had withdrawn from their positions and transferred responsibility to the Internal Security Forces (Asayish).

The SDF asserted that responsibility for the latest escalation lies with fragmented armed factions affiliated with the Damascus government, accusing them of deliberately fuelling tensions over the past four months. These groups, the statement said, have imposed a siege on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods and repeatedly provoked and attacked civilians, in violation of the April agreement and under the direct observation of government authorities.

According to the SDF, the ongoing shelling of residential areas is the direct outcome of these factions’ actions, particularly in western and northern Aleppo. Missiles have allegedly been launched along clear military trajectories from faction-controlled positions towards densely populated districts, with the stated aim of undermining security and inciting unrest.

The statement further warned that the deployment of tanks and heavy artillery against Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh represents a dangerous escalation, posing a serious threat to civilian lives and further destabilising the already fragile security situation in Aleppo and the wider region.

The violence comes as the integration of the SDF into the country’s new army is approaching its deadline.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power following the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December of last year, signed a deal in March with the SDF to integrate the group into the country’s state institutions.

But the details of the integration process were left vague, and the deal’s implementation has stalled.

The U.S.-backed SDF has controlled a large swath of territory in northeastern Syria since 2015.

Kurdish officials have said that a preliminary agreement has been reached to allow three divisions affiliated with the SDF to integrate as units into the new army, but it is unclear how close the sides are to finalising it.

The original deadline for implementation of the March deal was the end of the year, and there have been fears of a military confrontation if progress is not made by then.



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