Syrian military gives SDF deadline to leave Aleppo after deadly clashes

Syrian forces said that Aleppo's SDF-controlled Kurdish majority neighbourhoods will be considered "closed military zones" as of 3pm (12pm GMT) on Wednesday, creating "humanitarian corridors" for civilians to leave the area before then, sparking fears of a military assault on the areas.

In a statement, the Syrian army said that "the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods will be considered closed military zones after 3.00pm today", adding that "two safe humanitarian crossings" would be put in place for civilians to leave.

On Wednesday, sporadic clashes between government troops and Kurdish-dominated forces continued following two days of major violence between the two sides, which killed at least nine people.

The SDF controls most of northeastern Syria as well as Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods.

Deadly clashes have broken out between the SDF and Damascus several times since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, despite an agreement signed on 10 March last year to integrate their forces and institutions into the Syrian government. However, it has repeatedly been stalled and a deadline for implementation, set for the beginning of this year, has passed without any significant progress.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the SDF targeted the al-Suryan neighbourhood in Aleppo with mortar shells, with clashes between the Syrian army and the SDF continuing around the Castello Road and Shihan areas.

The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods were "witnessing a wave of population displacement" before the Syrian army’s 3pm deadline came into effect.

Local journalist Ahmad Zakour told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Syrian Civil Defence teams have been transporting residents to safe areas for about two hours.

The Aleppo Governorate said early on Wednesday that it had opened a shelter at the Al-Ghufran Mosque in the New Aleppo neighbourhood, on the western outskirts of the city, while the Syrian Civil Defence is also providing medical assistance to sick and elderly residents of the two neighbourhoods.

The SDF, meanwhile, accused the Syrian government of forcibly displacing residents from the al-Suryan neighbourhood in Aleppo, while deploying snipers and tanks to the area.

On Tuesday, the Syrian government said that four civilians, including a child, and one soldier had been killed by the SDF in clashes.

The Syrian agriculture ministry reported that among the victims of the SDF fire were two women working at its Agricultural Scientific Research Center in Aleppo, Suzan al-Muhtadi and Dima Dweidri, as a result of "direct targeting by SDF forces".

Abdi met with senior Syrian government officials in Damascus earlier this week, but the talks ended with no result. The SDF have previously been backed by the United States as part of its war against the Islamic State group, but Washington has now indicated it wants to see the group integrated into the Syrian government.

Agencies contributed to this report.