Damascus-aligned forces crack down on Kurdish protesters in Aleppo

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than a dozen protesters were injured on Monday following a violent crackdown by security forces reportedly aligned with the Syrian interim government in Damascus, multiple Kurdish media outlets and a prominent war monitor reported. The demonstrators were protesting the closure of entrances to Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in northern Aleppo province.

Ronahi TV, a media outlet affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reported that “factions” affiliated with Damascus had "attacked people" protesting against the shut down. The outlet claimed that “firearms” were used and that “15 civilians were injured in the armed attacks.”

Another outlet close to Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria (Rojava), Hawar News Agency (ANHA), also reported that residents of the two neighborhood “took to checkpoints and earth mounds set up by forces aligned with the Syrian transitional government to express their rejection of the siege on the two neighborhoods and demand the reopening of roads.”

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed that "direct clashes" had broken out between residents of the Kurdish quarters in northern Aleppo and “members of the Syrian General Security forces deployed in the area.” SOHR added that while “no live ammunition was used ... tear gas was deployed, resulting in cases of suffocation and eye irritation.”

Amid the escalation, Amin Aliko, a member of the General Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) - the ruling party in Rojava - described the situation in Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiye as “very bad,” warning that “the lives of nearly 450,000 residents are under threat."


Reports also emerged Monday evening of Damascus deploying additional forces to the area. Against that backdrop, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted the Syrian defense ministry’s media department as remarking that “the movements of the Syrian Arab Army come within the framework of its redeployment plan on some fronts in northern and northeastern Syria.”

The ministry claimed the effort came “following the repeated attacks by the SDF forces and their targeting of residents and the army and security forces, and their attempt to seize new posts,” adding that the Syrian army was “fulfilling its responsibilities” and “preserve the lives and property of the residents,” as well as “the lives of security forces personnel from the repeated attacks by the SDF forces.”

Underscoring that “there are no intentions for military operations,” the defense ministry affirmed “commitment to the March 10 agreement” between SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The accord calls for the integration of all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria (Rojava) under the authority of the Syrian state and included a commitment to a nationwide ceasefire.

A follow-up agreement, signed in April reportedly with US involvement, created a joint security framework for Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh - areas controlled by Kurds for over a decade.

As part of the implementation, SDF fighters were withdrawn from the two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, although local forces affiliated with the SDF, known as Asayish, remain in place.


The backdrop

Earlier on Monday, Hevin Sulaiman, a senior official from the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods told Rudaw that “militants affiliated with the interim government in Damascus have closed all seven entrances to the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods,” placing the two quarters “under a complete siege.”

The escalation comes only days after Nouri Sheikho, another co-chair of the General Council for the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, told Rudaw on Wednesday that “the situation in the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh has been deteriorating for over a month.

“There has been a [sustained] media campaign targeting these neighborhoods,” Sheikho said, noting that the military build-up includes “the establishment of new checkpoints, watchposts, and roadblocks,” spreading fear among the local population. “People are increasingly worried that open conflict could erupt,” he then warned.

In late September, the Asayish said they had “repelled an attack by armed factions affiliated with the Damascus government’s defense ministry” on Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh.

In his interview with Rudaw, Sheikho accused these groups of intentionally provoking instability and attempting to incite conflict with the Kurdish forces in the two neighborhoods.

“An unusual number of armed men - some affiliated with the defense ministry and others operating outside the ministry’s authority - have been deployed near the Kurdish neighborhoods,” he said.

Sheikho described the developments as part of a broader effort by Damascus to impose unilateral control over Kurdish-held areas. “They want to force us into unconditional surrender - despite more than 20 years of resistance and sacrifice,” he said.

The bigger picture

Beyond Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in northern Aleppo, Damascus-affiliated forces have reportedly shut down several key routes connecting Rojava to other parts of the country.

Lazgin Khalil, head of the Haval Tourism and Travel Company, told Rudaw on Sunday that “Syrian General Security forces shut down the Zakia checkpoint, which connects Damascus-controlled regions with areas administered by the [Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria] DAANES.”

The Zakia checkpoint lies on the main road connecting the north-central Raqqa province - chiefly led by the DAANES - and the central-western Homs province.

Meanwhile, ANHA reported on Sunday the closure of another road leading to Rojava - the Salamiyyah-Tabqa road, which links Rojava to Syria’s west-central Hama province. The road serves as “a vital artery” connecting the Kurdish-led regions to “the Syrian interior,” ANHA said.

For its part, the UK-based war monitor, SOHR, reported last week that the Aleppo-Deir ez-Zor road, running through Deir Hafer, “remains closed for the third day in a row.”

Deir Hafer is a strategic area located in eastern Aleppo province. It remains largely under the US-backed SDF control.

In recent weeks, Damascus-aligned factions have intensified efforts to seize the district, as it would enable them to open a logistical corridor to Raqqa province in north-central Syria. It would also allow them to put military pressure on the SDF in other regions crucial for the Kurdish forces’ operations, including Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge, both on the Euphrates River.