UN says monitoring rising tensions in Kurdish areas of Aleppo

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations on Tuesday said it is monitoring escalating tensions in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Aleppo, as clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus-aligned factions reportedly left at least four dead.

Responding to a question from Rudaw, Dujarric, said the UN is aware of reports pointing to a deterioration in the security situation and stalled political talks. "We've seen reports of increased tension," he said, adding that the UN has also taken note of "the reports about the lack of progress in the talks between the government and the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces]."

The SDF is the de facto military force of northeast Syria (Rojava) and was the only on-ground partner of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) until the Syrian government joined the coalition in November.

Earlier on Tuesday, Syrian state media said one soldier and three civilians were killed in Aleppo in what it described as SDF drone and shelling attacks on residential areas. The SDF rejected the claim, accusing Damascus-affiliated factions of indiscriminate shelling of Kurdish neighborhoods in northern Aleppo, saying three civilians were killed and several others wounded.

Kurdish forces said that four people were killed and around 30 others were injured in attacks by state-affiliated forces. 

Dujarric stressed that dialogue remains essential to preventing further violence. "I think we will continue to do whatever we can to encourage the parties to continue to talk," he said, emphasizing that "this is something that needs to happen: the unification of security services for the sake of all Syrians."

He added that the UN remains engaged, saying it will "continue to be available and work in that direction."

For his part, Jim Risch, head of the Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a Tuesday post on X, urged Kurdish forces and Damascus-affiliated forces to "de-escalate" ongoing tensions in Aleppo, saying that “division & violence in Syria only benefit bad actors like ISIS and Iran who exploit Syria.”

The renewed clashes have raised concerns over the durability of earlier agreements aimed at stabilizing Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh, following a broader deal between the SDF and Syria’s interim authorities in March to integrate security structures and uphold a nationwide ceasefire.

A follow-up agreement, signed in early April - with the presence of American representatives - created a joint security framework for Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh. Under the agreement, SDF fighters withdrew from the two neighborhoods, though its affiliate, the Asayish, remains deployed.

The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Tuesday condemned the deadly attacks on the neighborhoods, calling them a "blatant violation" of humanitarian law and saying they reflect the interim Syrian authorities’ "lack of seriousness" in uniting the Syrian people.

Hevin Sulaiman, co-chair of the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods’ council, told Rudaw on Tuesday that Damascus-affiliated factions “are pursuing a policy of depopulating these neighborhoods.”

She noted, "We do not want the conflict to escalate; we want these attacks to stop through negotiations," adding that "this escalation serves no Syrian party. Instead, it benefits the enemies of the democratic nation project and undermines progress in the March 10 agreement talks, which have advanced in recent days."

Namo Abdulla contributed to this report from New York.

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