fighting-resumes-in-aleppo-hours-after-ceasefire

Fighting resumed in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, after Kurdish militias rejected the government’s order to abandon their positions late Friday.

Syrian forces, in response, targetted the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods, which have remained under the control of Kurdish militias since the early days of the civil war that broke out in the country in 2011.

The Syrian Defence Ministry, while announcing a ceasefire on Friday, had called on Kurdish militia forces to leave the city and move to other Kurdish neighbourhoods. 

However, its demands were quickly rejected, with the fighter groups saying they will not surrender, but “defend our neighbourhoods”.
Hours later, the country’s defence ministry issued another statement, saying the deadline for withdrawal had passed and that the military would take control of the districts by force. 

Syrian forces later said the attacks were carried out on several locations held by Kurdish forces, which they claimed had been used to carry out attacks on the “people of Aleppo”. 

The ministry further said strikes hit an underground weapons depot, while Kurdish forces claimed the strikes had hit a hospital. 

 

Also Read: Syria declares ceasefire in Aleppo after days of deadly clashes

Aleppo, one of the largest cities in the country, has been marred by deadly clashes after Syria re-established diplomatic ties with the United States. The city has posed a significant challenge to the current administration led by Ahmad al-Sharaa.  

According to the latest government figures, recent fighting in the city has displaced over 140,000 people and killed at least 22, including civilians. 

The Kurdish forces are the main fighting group within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of various other groups. They have played a significant role in defeating ISIS in Syria. 

The Sharaa-led government had signed a peace deal with the group back in April last year, but no progress has been made since. The US and France are currently seeking to mediate in the situation to bring peace.

The French foreign ministry stated on Thursday that it urged Sharaa “to exercise restraint and reiterated France’s commitment to a united Syria where all segments of Syrian society are represented and protected”.

Meanwhile, the fighting between the Syrian government forces and Kurdish militias is ongoing in Aleppo.