Several injured in Syria’s Aleppo by SDF fire

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Two security forces and several civil defense workers and civilians were injured in northern Aleppo by fire from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in an attack that prompted dozens of families and factory workers to flee the area, Syrian authorities said.

SDF fighters targeted a checkpoint between the Shayhan and al-Layramoun roundabouts with machine-gun fire and mortar shells, forcing residents and workers to leave the surroundings of the al-Layramoun neighborhood, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

The Syrian Civil Defense said two of its members were wounded by SDF gunfire near the al-Ashrafieh neighborhood.

The Defense Ministry’s media and communications office told SANA that SDF forces launched a sudden attack on positions of the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian army around al-Ashrafieh, causing injuries.

The office said Syrian army units responded to the source of fire, accusing SDF fighters of targeting civilian homes, residents and army and security positions around the al-Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.

The Interior Ministry said SDF forces stationed in Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafieh carried out “a surprise attack” on Internal Security Forces manning joint checkpoints after an abrupt withdrawal, opening fire despite existing agreements.

The ministry said the attack wounded a security member and a soldier, in addition to causing multiple injuries among civil defense personnel and civilians.

The state-run Alikhbariya TV said the attack had led to the closure of the Aleppo–Gaziantep Road in the area.

The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.

On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement for the SDF’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.

Syrian authorities said in the months since, the SDF has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreement.

The Syrian government has been intensifying security efforts since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime after 24 years in power.