Damascus categorically condemns the drone attacks by the Kurdish coalition “Syrian Democratic Forces“ (SDF) against government buildings and residential areas in Aleppo and considers this escalation to be a terrorist act. This was stated in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the transitional government of Syria.
According to the text, the Syrian Foreign Ministry “considers this escalation to be a blatant terrorist act that threatens the lives of civilians and ignores all security agreements, which confirms the need for the state to take measures to strengthen law and order in the Sheikh Massoud and Ashrafiyeh areas“. to restore stability.
“The Syrian Arab Republic calls on the international community to condemn these terrorist attacks and support the efforts of the Syrian state to combat terrorism and strengthen security and stability“, the statement stressed.
On Friday evening, the Syrian army announced the start of an operation to clear the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of fighters from the Kurdish-led coalition “Syrian Democratic Forces“ (SDF), who refused to leave the area voluntarily. The Ministry of Defense of the transitional government of the Arab Republic reported that “a large number of members of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)“ were also identified in Sheikh Maqsood.
The situation in the northern capital of Syria escalated on January 6, when SDF forces used drones to attack government positions. As a result, one soldier was killed and several were wounded. In response to the violation of the ceasefire, the Syrian army destroyed a Kurdish ammunition depot in the Sheikh Maqsood area. After that, intense firefights broke out in several districts of Aleppo. According to the latest reports, the number of civilian casualties in the city from the shelling of the Kurdish coalition has increased to nine, with at least 55 people injured.
On the night of January 9, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced a ceasefire in Aleppo. According to the agreement, Kurdish forces were to leave the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsud, Ashrafiya and Bani Zeid, carrying only personal light weapons. The Syrian army, in turn, guaranteed their safe withdrawal. However, some SDF fighters refused to surrender their positions and, violating the ceasefire, opened fire on government forces, demanding that the fighting continue.