Syrian army bombs SDF positions in Aleppo amid group attacks on residential neighborhoods

By Lina Altawell and Tarek Chouiref
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Syrian army began heavy and focused shelling of positions of the SDF in the northern city of Aleppo on Thursday in retaliation for three days of attacks by the group that killed at least seven civilians and injured dozens.

The PKK/YPG terror group is operating under the name of SDF in the country.

According to Alikhbariya TV, the army began responding to the sources of SDF fire in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in the city.

The attacks came after the army said it will begin military operations against the SDF positions in the Ashrafieh, Sheikh Maqsoud, and Bani Zeid neighborhoods of Aleppo at 13:30 local time (10:30GMT).

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the army imposed a curfew in the three districts as of 13:30 local time until further notice.

The army attacks came after the SDF forces renewed its shelling of residential neighborhoods in the city for the third consecutive day.

According to the SANA news agency, SDF shelled al-Khalidiyah neighborhood, injuring four civilians.

A woman was also shot by a sniper while leaving the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, the agency said.

A doctor was also injured by SDF gunfire targeting Al-Razi Hospital in Aleppo. A Syrian soldier was also injured in an artillery attack by the group while securing the exit of civilians from Al-Suryan neighborhood in the city, the agency said.

SANA also reported SDF shelling of the student housing complex at the University of Aleppo using artillery fire.

Shelling also targeted the vicinity of the Surgical Medicine Hospital in the Sheikh Hilal neighborhood in the city.

Health Ministry spokesman in Aleppo Munir al-Muhammad told SANA that the civilian death toll from SDF attacks rose to seven, with 52 others injured.

According to SANA, the attacks included sniper fire that wounded civilians in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.

Syrian media said civil defense teams and internal security forces continued to evacuate civilians from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods through Al-Zohour Street due to the SDF “violations.”

According to Syrian figures, more than 3,000 civilians have been displaced from their areas over the SDF attacks.

SANA said the decision was taken as a precautionary security measure ahead of the planned operations, with residents instructed to remain indoors.

The provincial administration in Aleppo has extended the suspension of classes at public and private schools and universities in the city on Thursday over the escalation.

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 say that in the months since, the SDF has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreement.

The Syrian government has intensified efforts to maintain security across the country since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, after 24 years in power.