Aleppo Strikes Intensify Against Kurdish Fighters by Syrian Army Forces

Aleppo Fighting Intensifies as Syrian Army Combs Neighborhoods

A ceasefire in Aleppo has collapsed, with fighting intensifying between the Syrian army and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters. The conflict has resulted in over 162,000 people displaced, according to Aleppo’s emergency chief Mohammed al-Rajab.

The SDF refused to withdraw from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, which is currently under intense fighting. The Syrian military claims to have made progress in the area and now controls approximately 55% of it. The army has also arrested several members of the SDF as part of its operations in the neighborhood.

Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported that the military had imposed a deadline for Kurdish fighters to evacuate the area, but they rejected the request. The Syrian government had declared a temporary ceasefire earlier on Friday, following three days of clashes between the central government and the SDF.

The SDF posted footage on X showing damage from artillery and drone attacks on Khaled Fajr Hospital in Sheikh Maqsoud, accusing factions affiliated with the Damascus government of committing a war crime. The Syrian army claimed that the hospital was a weapons depot and that Kurdish fighters were attempting to advance on the neighborhood with tanks.

At least 22 people have been killed and 173 others wounded in Aleppo since the fighting broke out on Tuesday. The director of Syria’s civil defence reported that 159,000 people had been displaced by fighting in the city.

Source: Al Jazeera