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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations on Friday urged Syrian and Kurdish forces in Aleppo to protect civilians and resume negotiations to end days of intense fighting.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said UN officials “continue to be gravely alarmed by the hostilities in Aleppo.” He said the UN was coordinating with “relevant groups” to deliver aid after clashes cut off roads and impeded humanitarian access.
“Despite ongoing efforts to try to calm the fighting, the dangers of renewed and further escalation and the impact on civilians are extremely concerning,” he said.
Dujarric called on “all parties” to comply with international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The fighting in Kurdish-majority neighborhoods has forced 140,000 people to flee, according to the United Nations. Nearly two dozen people have been killed.
The Syrian government has claimed that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have failed to comply with an April 2025 agreement to withdraw from Aleppo as part of a wider effort to nationalize Kurdish institutions.
The SDF said it withdrew but that local security forces (Asayish) continue to serve in Kurdish-majority neighborhoods. Asayish reported Damascus-allied armed factions were attacking the Sheikh Masood neighborhood, including hospitals and civilian infrastructure, which are protected under international humanitarian law, on Friday night as they advanced on Kurdish positions.
The UN urged “all parties to show genuine flexibility and good faith and to swiftly return to negotiations,” Dujarric said. The UN, the US and European nations have pressed Syrian and Kurdish leaders to carry out a comprehensive March 2025 agreement mandating that autonomous Kurdish institutions, including the SDF, be integrated into the interim government.
Namo Abdulla contributed to this article from New York.
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