ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) on Monday said they repelled an “attack” by forces affiliated with the Syrian government in Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of the northern Aleppo province, amid rising tensions and what some have described as a "siege" of the area.
In a statement, the Asayish said their forces on Monday “repelled a widescale attack launched by forces affiliated with the interim government on several fronts” near the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in northern Aleppo.
“The attack included the al-Jalaa axis, the al-Jazeera checkpoint, and the Greek Hospital axis, where intense clashes took place. Our forces successfully repelled the assault,” the statement said.
The Kurdish-led forces added that “confrontations also reignited at the al-Lairamoun and al-Shaikhan roundabouts, with clashes still ongoing” at the time of the statement.
The statement coincided with reports that over a dozen protesters were injured in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods on Monday, following a crackdown by forces reportedly aligned with the Syrian interim government. The protests had erupted after the closure of all seven entrances to Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh.
Ronahi TV, a media outlet affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reported Monday 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.”
Amin Aliko, a member of the General Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) - the ruling party in Rojava - told Rudaw on Monday that the situation in Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh was “very bad,” warning that “the lives of nearly 450,000 residents are under threat."
Of note, spontaneous protests also erupted in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, located in northern Hasaka province, in solidarity with the Kurdish community in northern Aleppo.
Spontaneous protests have erupted in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, located in northern Hasaka province in northeast Syria (Rojava), in solidarity with the Kurdish community in northern Aleppo, where tensions continue to escalate. pic.twitter.com/78hjXpi7xQ
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) October 6, 2025
Other reports also emerged Monday evening of Damascus deploying additional forces to the area.
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 “followed 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.”
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 latter 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.
Importantly, a follow-up agreement, signed in April reportedly with US involvement, created a joint security framework for Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh, which have been controlled by the Kurds for over a decade. As part of the implementation, SDF fighters were withdrawn from the two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, while the Asayish remained in place.
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