Cautious calm returns to Syria following SDF-government clashes

Cautious calm returned to Aleppo on Tuesday after the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to stop fighting, following an outbreak of clashes between them in the Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods on Monday.

The Syrian interior ministry announced that four civilians were killed, and at least nine others were wounded, including civil defence volunteers in the latest clashes to break out in Syria's northern city, SANA reported on Tuesday.

One of the civilians killed in the clashes has been identified as Fadwa Muhammad al-Kurdi, a 57-year-old local resident. Other victims have been named by local media as Faten Hindi, Afaf Ibrahim and Muhammed al-Darwish.

Nour al-Din al-Baba, the Syrian interior ministry spokesman, said the SDF was carrying out "systematic attacks" on densely populated neighbourhoods, describing the recent escalation as "dangerous".

Aleppo is under the control of the government, but two SDF enclaves remain in the city in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya districts that have seen periodic clashes between the two sides over the past year. 

Civilians were injured in the latest fighting after SDF fire targeted residential areas and hit a hospital in Aleppo; however, the group denied the claims, shifting blame onto government forces, who they accused of shelling districts with artillery.

The SDF also accused what it called "divided factions affiliated with the Damascus government" for instigating crises in recent months. A statement from them added that "the shelling of residential areas is a result of the activities of these same factions, particularly in western and northern Aleppo, from there they launch rockets towards the city".

The latest developments come as Syrian internal security forces cordoned off areas surrounding the Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods in Aleppo after midnight, to protect civilians, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s sister publication, reported.

Many civilians have fled the area, out of fear of the possibility of renewed violence.

Aleppo’s governor, Azzam al-Gharib, also announced the suspension of all public and private schools and universities, and called on government departments to halt work temporarily, due to the tensions.

The Syrian interior ministry accused the SDF of sparking violence to abort the March agreement, which states that the SDF would merge their civil and military institutions with the new Syrian authorities.

"The fate of implementing the deal or not is still unknown, given the limited time, while security tensions remain on the ground, thus confirming the fragility of the deal," al-Baba told Al-Araby TV.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani also added that the government has seen "no serious will" from the SDF to implement the agreement, in comments made during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

Shibani said that Damascus had submitted a proposal to the SDF and received a response that was "under review".

At a press conference this week, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed a range of important issues, including economic and trade cooperation, the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, and the strengthening of intelligence and military cooperation.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, most of the country has come under the control of Ahmed Al-Sharaa's authority, although the SDF maintain control of the northeast and renegade Druze militias in parts of the southern province of Suweida.

On Monday, the Suweida militia, the National Guard, created by Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, also accused Syrian government forces of targeting the town of Atil in the province's southern countryside, with two people killed.