A violent confrontation between Syrian government troops and Kurdish-led forces in the northern city of Aleppo resulted in at least nine fatalities on Tuesday, marking one of the most severe outbreaks of hostilities between the factions in recent months. The clashes, which persisted throughout the night, primarily claimed civilian lives and have severely jeopardized a critical integration agreement.
The conflict ignited in the early hours when factions aligned with the Damascus government allegedly targeted the Kurdish-majority neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsud, according to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF reported that the assault involved indiscriminate artillery, missile strikes, drone deployments, and direct sniper fire. By nightfall, the death toll in the districts of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh had risen to four civilians, including two women and a child.
In a sharp rebuttal, Syria’s defence ministry, via the state news agency SANA, accused the SDF of initiating the violence by shelling government-adjacent neighborhoods. Official reports claimed five fatalities from SDF fire: four civilians, one of them a child, and a ministry of defence employee. The agriculture ministry further stated that two of the deceased were workers at a research centre, condemning the SDF for undermining the March 10 integration accord.
The repercussions of the fighting extended beyond the immediate casualties. Syrian civil aviation authorities suspended all flights at Aleppo’s international airport for 24 hours, diverting air traffic to Damascus. The provincial governor announced the closure of schools, universities, and government offices for Wednesday, citing the targeting of medical facilities and public institutions.
This flare-up represents a significant setback for the March agreement, which aimed to merge the SDF’s semi-autonomous administration and military apparatus into Syria’s new Islamist government by the end of 2025. Implementation has largely stalled, with the Kurds advocating for decentralized rule—a concept firmly rejected by the central authorities in Damascus.
The international dimension of the conflict was also highlighted. In Ankara, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler issued a stern warning, demanding that the SDF and its affiliated groups, which Turkey views as terrorist entities linked to the PKK, immediately lay down their weapons. Turkey, a key ally of Syria’s new government, has conducted multiple military operations along its 900-kilometer border with Syria to push Kurdish forces back from its frontier.