Aleppo School Struggles to Recover After Recent Military Conflict

Residents Return to Aleppo Neighborhoods After Syrian Army Secures Areas

Aleppo, Syria - The streets of Ashrafieh neighborhood in Aleppo have been reopened to residents after the Syrian army secured areas previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The area had been a battleground for five days, with intense fighting between SDF fighters and government forces.

The Qassem Amin school, located in the heart of Ashrafieh, was one of the locations affected by the conflict. Bullet shell casings littered the classrooms and corridors, while desks barricaded the stairwells and glass from shattered windows crunched underfoot. The school’s playground had been transformed into a battleground.

According to the school’s head teacher, Ouafa Zein al-Dein, SDF snipers had occupied the top floor of the school five months prior to the conflict. Classes continued below, but staff never interacted with the fighters. When fighting broke out on January 6, students were sent home, and at least 155,000 people fled the area.

The Syrian government and SDF had agreed to merge forces in March, as part of a broader deal to integrate SDF-controlled areas into the new government. However, this integration never occurred. The five-day fighting ended when SDF forces withdrew, citing concerns about civilian buildings being targeted by the Syrian army.

The Syrian government has now allowed residents to return to most of the affected areas. On Monday, families were finally able to re-enter Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where tightly packed streets and concrete homes had been damaged during the conflict. Residents reported encountering SDF fighters who claimed to be using their homes as firing positions, prompting concerns about civilian safety.

Security forces have searched the area for booby traps and weapons, while also looking for prisoners taken during the fall of the al-Assad regime. The Syrian army is now fully in control of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods. However, SDF units remain in control of Syria’s northeast region and are reportedly regrouping in the countryside.

Source: Al Jazeera