TUNIS: The Syrian armed forces is launching an operation in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud against the Kurdish-led Syrian D...
TUNIS: The Syrian armed forces is launching an operation in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the SANA news agency reported citing a statement from the country’s military.
According to the document, the operation was ordered to begin "when the deadline, set by the armed forces for the SDF, expires." Once the mop-up operation there is over, the area will come under the control of the transitional government’s security forces.
The Syrian armed forces blame the Kurdish coalition for delays in the process, as well as for "systematic shelling attacks and strikes" on civilian sites in Aleppo, which "reduces the chance for reaching any new agreements" with the SDF.
Also, the statement says that "a large number of members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)" are taking shelter in Sheikh Maqsoud.
Earlier, the defense ministry of Syria’s transitional government imposed a curfew in Sheikh Maqsoud, designating it as a closed military zone. Residents were told to stay away from the positions of Kurdish fighters due to planned massive strikes on those areas. After that, the ministry reported that it had destroyed a large ammunition depot of the SDF and the PKK in this district.
On the night of January 8-9, Syria’s transitional Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire in Aleppo. Under the agreement, Kurdish forces were to withdraw from the areas of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiya and Bani Zaid, carrying only personal light weapons. The Syrian army, for its part, guaranteed their safe withdrawal. However, some SDF fighters refused to surrender their positions and broke the truce by opening fire on government forces, insisting on continuing the fighting.
The situation in Aleppo escalated on January 6, when SDF units attacked government positions with drones, killing one soldier and wounding several others. In response to the ceasefire violation, the Syrian army destroyed a Kurdish ammunition depot in the Sheikh Maqsoud area. Intense clashes subsequently broke out in several parts of Aleppo. According to the latest reports, the number of civilian casualties in the city from shelling by the Kurdish coalition has risen to nine, with at least 55 people wounded.
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