Thousands flee conflict between Syrian government and Kurdish forces

According to reports, fierce clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish forces occurred in the northern city of Aleppo for two consecutive days, resulting in at least 12 deaths.

Tens of thousands of civilians have also fled the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, which the Syrian army shelled on Wednesday afternoon after designating them a “military no-go zone.”

The government said the operation was in response to attacks by armed groups in the area and had “the sole purpose of maintaining security.”

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance insists it has no military presence in Aleppo, calling it a “criminal attempt” to forcibly displace residents.

An Aleppo resident told the BBC on Wednesday that the situation was “very bad”.

“All my friends went to other towns. Sometimes it was calm, but suddenly the war started again,” they said.

Samer Issa, a displaced person from Ashrafiyeh, told Reuters he slept with his young children in a mosque that had been converted into a shelter.

“The shelling is getting worse. We left because our children could no longer bear the attacks and shelling,” he said, describing the situation as “heartbreaking”.

The violence underscores the challenges facing the government of President Ahmed Salam, who remains deeply divided in a country a year after he led a rebel offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad.

In March 2025, the Kurdish-led SDF, which controls much of northeastern Syria and has tens of thousands of armed personnel, signed an agreement to integrate all military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state.

But that hasn’t happened yet, with each side accusing the other of trying to undermine the deal.

The SDF remains unwilling to give up the autonomy it won during the country’s 13-year civil war when it helped US-led forces defeat the Islamic State (IS) group.

The standoff in Aleppo also threatens to drag down Türkiye, which backs the government and considers the Kurdish militia that dominates the SDF a terrorist group.