According to a Syrian military source, the army has started attacking Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) strongholds inside Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh districts with intense artillery strikes.
According to the state news agency SANA, the SDF used mortar bombs and artillery to target Aleppo’s Al-Midan neighborhood.
According to health officials, SDF attacks in Aleppo city have left five people dead and 33 injured.
Syrian government forces have been using tanks and artillery to target residential areas in the Ashrafieh district for the third day in a row, according to the SDF media office.
Amid “lots of bombing,” thousands seek refuge
In the midst of the ongoing fighting in Aleppo, Georgette Lulu is one of roughly 100 people seeking refuge at the St. Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church.
“A shell landed next to our house, and there was a lot of bombing and loud noises,” she reported. “I don’t get scared because I’ve experienced similar situations frequently, but my niece was terrified, so we had to go to the church.”
About 4,000 people were living in shelters in Aleppo, according to Hassan Nader, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Social Affairs there, while tens of thousands had fled to other parts of the province.
Following fighting in Aleppo, the EU calls for “restraint.”
According to spokesperson Anouar el-Anouni, the EU has expressed “great concern” over the bloodshed in Aleppo.
He continued, “We call on all sides to exercise restraint, protect civilians, and seek a peaceful and diplomatic solution.”
EU leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen are scheduled to travel to Damascus to meet with the nation’s leaders.
Syrian Democratic Forces:
Founded in 2015, almost four years after an uprising against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began, the SDF is an alliance led by Kurds.
The United States backs the Syrian Democratic Forces, which holds important parts of eastern Syria, including oilfields.
In 2017, the SDF, under the leadership of Arab fighters and Kurdish People’s Protection Units, destroyed the last ISIL (ISIS) bastion in the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa.
To assist stop an ISIL revival, over 900 US forces are stationed in their region.
Although a peace process is currently underway, Turkiye views the SDF as a “terrorist organization” due to its affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has fought a decades-long battle on its territory.
The SDF and the government are accusing one another of initiating and intensifying the bloodshed.
Civilians were told to evacuate and to stay away from SDF positions, which the government views as legitimate targets, after declaring some locations a restricted military zone.
However, many residents in Damascus and around the nation express a desire for a peaceful resolution.
After 14 years of conflict that has killed an estimated 600,000 people, left about 100,000 missing, and displaced some 14 million more both domestically and internationally, Syrians are worn out.
Aleppo battle raises the death toll
The battle in Aleppo’s neighborhoods has claimed the lives of at least fifteen civilians.
According to the Aleppo Health Directorate, SDF attacks have killed seven civilians and injured fifty-two.
The director of the media department in Aleppo has told one of the News channel that more than 100,000 civilians have left the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods due to the ongoing fighting.
If requested, Turkey says it will assist the Syrian government
According to a defense ministry official, Turkey’s military is prepared to “support” Syria in its conflict with SDF forces if Damascus requests assistance.
The anonymous official told reporters that Turkey “supports Syria’s fight against terrorist organizations” and that Ankara was “closely monitoring” events in the north.
He reiterated Ankara’s long-standing pledge to provide military backing to its partners in the new administration in Damascus, saying, “Should Syria request assistance, Turkiye will provide the necessary support.”
Source: Al Jazeera and other media outlets
