Aleppo Bombardment Claims Lives of Security Force Member and Civilian

At least one member of Syria’s domestic security forces and a civilian were killed on Monday in bombardments in the northern city of Aleppo, which Syrian state television attributed to Kurdish forces.

Tensions have intensified between the Syrian government in Damascus and the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration in northern and northeastern Syria.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based watchdog:

• Syrian government forces deployed explosive drones in two Aleppo neighbourhoods with Kurdish-majority residents: Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.
• Communications in these districts were disrupted, and the areas were encircled by Syrian army reinforcements.

Since the overthrow of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December last year, Aleppo has been governed by Syria’s new Islamist authorities, though Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh remain under Kurdish control, specifically by units linked to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Syrian News Channel, citing a security official, reported:

• A member of the domestic security forces was killed, with three others wounded near Sheikh Maqsoud.
• One civilian was also killed in a Kurdish bombardment.

Displacement:

“Dozens of families” have fled Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh due to heavy machine-gun and mortar fire by the SDF.

Medical Response:

• Syria’s SANA news agency confirmed that several wounded civilians were admitted to local hospitals.

Aleppo’s governor, Azzam al-Gharib, urged residents via Facebook to:

• Stay indoors
• Keep as far away as possible from “zones with clashes”
• He called on all parties to de-escalate tensions immediately.

The SDF denied attacking government security forces, accusing pro-Damascus factions of:

• Besieging Kurdish neighbourhoods
• Attempting to advance using tanks

They also claimed that local residents had taken up arms to support the Assayech, the Kurds’ domestic security forces, in defending the districts.