Damascus, Jan 7, (dpa/GNA) — Thousands of residents fled embattled neighbourhoods in Aleppo on Wednesday, after renewed fighting broke out between Kurdish forces and Syrian government troops.
Syrian Civil Defence teams said they evacuated 2,324 civilians from the Kurdish-controlled districts of Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafieh in northern Aleppo. Local sources said residents living near the affected areas also fled their homes out of fear.
The Syrian Civil DefenCe and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said emergency shelters were opened, with some displaced residents accommodated in hotels across Aleppo, state television reported.
Radwan Joumaa, from Sheikh Maksoud, told dpa that “after a difficult night me and my children managed to through the crossing which was opened.”
“It was a nightmare walking with my children to reach the crossing under heavy fire. We walked for 5 kilometres,” the 30-year-old added.
Another resident, Yehya Oujaij, said the family had managed to bring their children to safety: “We just pray this will end soon. Fourteen years of war is enough.”
The Syrian military declared the two districts a “militarily restricted zone” and imposed a curfew.
This was followed by an exchange of fire between government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Syrian interim government said earlier Wednesday it had launched a “limited military operation” in Aleppo, accusing the SDF of attacking residential areas, roads and security forces.
In a statement, the government said the Syrian state was responsible for protecting all citizens, including Kurds, and rejected any portrayal of the security measures as targeting a specific group.
“The Syrian state reiterates its call for armed groups to withdraw from Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafieh and urges full protection of civilians from any political or media disputes,” the statement said.
The US-backed Kurdish General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces denied the accusations, saying the two neighbourhoods “do not, under any circumstances, constitute a military threat” and cannot serve as a launching point for attacks on Aleppo.
“We categorically affirm that the Syrian Democratic Forces have no military presence in the city of Aleppo,” the SDF said, calling on guarantor states — primarily the United States — to intervene. It warned that continued “aggression” against civilians would have serious consequences.
Kurdish integration deal stalled
Since political upheaval in Syria at the end of 2024, the new authorities in Damascus have sought to reassert centralized control over the country, which has been fractured by decades of Assad family rule and nearly 14 years of civil war.
Kurds, Syria’s largest ethnic minority, mainly inhabit the north-east, where they have maintained a self-governing region that also contains most of the country’s oil and gas reserves.
In March last year, Kurdish leaders and the transitional government agreed to integrate autonomous Kurdish institutions — including fighters — into state structures and the national army. The agreement has not been implemented, and a deadline expired at the end of 2025 without progress.
Negotiations have since stalled, with Kurdish officials expressing fears of renewed discrimination and favoring a decentralized system to safeguard their rights.
The SDF accuses government-aligned forces of attacking its positions. At least seven civilians have been killed since fighting resumed on Tuesday, with more than 50 injured, according to Kurdish sources.
The interim government said three civilians were killed and 15 injured, including children, in SDF attacks on Wednesday.
Kurdish sources said Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafieh are now under complete siege, with food and medical supplies blocked from entering the districts.
GNA