The Syrian army ordered civilians to evacuate key neighborhoods of Aleppo on Thursday as clashes with Kurdish-led forces entered their third day, intensifying the strain between Damascus and the US-backed Kurdish authorities in Syria.
The government urged residents to leave the contested areas of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zeid by early afternoon, establishing humanitarian corridors and temporary shelters to facilitate their exit. Maps were issued highlighting zones requiring evacuation. Syrian authorities warned that military operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would commence immediately after the deadline.
Shortly after the 1:30 p.m. local time (10:30 GMT) deadline expired, government forces launched shelling on the neighborhoods, with the SDF responding in kind. The clashes mark the most intense urban fighting in Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, raising fears of a wider conflict between Damascus and the well-armed Kurdish authorities controlling much of northeastern Syria, nearly a third of the country’s territory.
Although the SDF was meant to merge into the Syrian army by early 2025 under an agreement signed in March 2025, sporadic clashes have persisted. This week’s confrontations are the longest direct combat episode between the two sides since that deal.
Authorities in Aleppo report that roughly 140,000 civilians have been displaced since the violence began on Tuesday. At least eight civilians have died in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, while seven civilians and one soldier were killed in areas controlled by the government. Dozens more on both sides were injured.
The SDF currently holds the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo. However, on Wednesday, Damascus announced plans to expel Kurdish forces from the city entirely, a move likely to heighten tensions with the Kurdish bloc in northeastern Syria. The SDF denies having fighters in Aleppo, describing the defenders in the city as local self-defense units rather than organized SDF personnel.
Both sides have accused each other of targeting civilians. The Syrian government claimed the SDF prevented evacuations and used civilians as human shields, firing upon those attempting to leave. Meanwhile, the SDF released videos allegedly showing government forces shelling a hospital in Aleppo and conducting indiscriminate artillery attacks on residential neighborhoods in Sheikh Maqsoud.
Many of the displaced fled to other provinces, but some, unable to travel, sought refuge in nearby mosques and churches.
At the heart of the conflict are disagreements over the status and autonomy of the SDF in post-Assad Syria. The group controls nearly one-third of the country and has been a key US partner in anti-Islamic State operations.
Under the March 10 agreement, the SDF was meant to integrate fully into the new Syrian army. However, disputes over the specifics of integration have stalled the process. Kurdish authorities are pushing for autonomy within the government framework, and recent incidents in Syria’s coastal and Druze-majority regions—where government-backed forces were accused of human rights violations—have strengthened their resolve to retain weapons and maintain local control.
Many factions now forming the Syrian army have a long history of conflict with the SDF, fueling mutual distrust. A meeting between Damascus and the SDF on Sunday failed to advance implementation of the agreement, leaving both sides frustrated.
The fighting has inflamed public opinion. Images of civilian casualties allegedly caused by SDF shelling triggered protests in government-held areas, while thousands rallied in Qamishli, the de facto capital of SDF-controlled northeast Syria, expressing support for the Kurdish forces.
Farhad Shami, a spokesperson for the SDF, described Syrian government troops as “jihadists” and warned that the Aleppo clashes could spark further conflict across Syria. “This opens the door to the expansion of war into other areas,” he said on Thursday.
The United States, which has sought to balance its relations with the Kurds and the new Damascus authorities, called for restraint. A State Department official emphasized that all parties should prioritize building a “peaceful, stable Syria” rather than returning to cycles of violence. US envoy Tom Barrack is actively mediating between Damascus and the SDF.
For the SDF, US support remains a critical safeguard, particularly against Turkey, which has launched three military incursions into northeastern Syria. Ankara considers the SDF a Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group involved in a decades-long insurgency.
On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan labeled the SDF as the “biggest obstacle to peace in Syria,” while the Turkish defense ministry said it was prepared to provide military support to Damascus if requested.
As Aleppo remains engulfed in fighting, the prospect of a prolonged conflict between the Syrian government and Kurdish authorities looms large, threatening both the fragile post-Assad order and the humanitarian stability of the city. Humanitarian agencies continue to struggle to evacuate civilians and provide aid amid the shelling, highlighting the urgent need for a political solution before the crisis deepens further.
