SDF-Syrian Army Reach Ceasefire Following Deadly Clashes

Asharq Al-Awsat

The clashes took place in several residential areas in Aleppo.

Media outlets reported that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between the pro-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Army following clashes on the outskirts of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods in Aleppo on Monday night.

The Syrian Army General Staff reportedly issued orders to halt the targeting of SDF firing positions, while the SDF announced that it would suspend its response to attacks by what it described as “Damascus government factions”, in line with ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

The Syrian state news agency SANA quoted the Ministry of Defence as saying that the Syrian Army General Staff had issued “an order to cease targeting SDF fire positions after neutralising a number of them”.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of Defence’s Media and Communications Department confirmed that the General Staff had instructed forces to stop targeting SDF firing positions in Aleppo after neutralising several of them and limiting the scope of engagement away from civilian areas.

For its part, the General Command of the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the SDF issued a public statement regarding the attacks on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods. The statement said: “We have issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks by Damascus government factions, in accordance with ongoing ceasefire negotiations.”

The statement added that factions affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government launched an attack on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods of Aleppo on Monday afternoon, resulting in the death of one woman and injuries to 17 other civilians.

To protect civilians and residential areas, the Aleppo Internal Security Forces responded to the attacks and succeeded in repelling most of them in the vicinity of the two neighbourhoods.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria held officials within the Syrian Interim Government fully responsible for the attacks.

In condemnation of the shelling of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods, thousands of residents from across North and East Syria took to the streets in demonstrations expressing solidarity with the neighbourhoods and their resistance.

In a further statement, the Aleppo Internal Security Forces, through their General Commander Akhin Nujan, said that the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods had been subjected to a “suffocating siege” for nearly four months by factions affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government, particularly those supported by Turkey.

The statement said the siege had coincided with continued provocative actions by these factions, aimed at drawing the Internal Security Forces into a broader military escalation that would pose a direct threat to security and stability in the region. The statement added that these actions constituted an attempt to violate the truce signed between the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian Interim Government, at a time when the forces were committed to strengthening stability and peace.

The Aleppo Internal Security Forces categorically rejected all accusations levelled against them regarding responsibility for the recent clashes, stating: “Our forces only responded to the sources of fire directed at them, within the framework of legitimate self-defence.”

The statement added that, despite continued efforts to de-escalate tensions and prevent further escalation, hostile factions launched a large-scale attack from four directions surrounding the neighbourhoods, leading to a deterioration in the security situation.

The Aleppo Internal Security Forces reaffirmed their full commitment to the ceasefire and stressed their readiness to respond to any threats targeting regional security and civilian safety. “We continue to work to maintain stability and constantly seek peaceful solutions through dialogue and understanding with all relevant parties,” the statement said.



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