Shafaq News– Damascus

Syrian government forces entered Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud district on Saturday in coordination with the army, with government and Kurdish forces offering conflicting accounts of whether clashes were under way.

Shafaq News correspondent reported that government forces deployed across parts of the district and began “search” operations, which prompted Asayish units to withdraw from some positions, adding that no clashes were observed early Saturday.

Syria’s Interior Ministry confirmed in a statement that it had begun implementing a security plan in the district, while the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) said “violent street clashes” had taken place in parts of Sheikh Maqsoud, accusing Syrian troops of using artillery and tanks against the neighborhood.

Dozens of civilians have been wounded in the clashes over the past five days, and families sheltering in a local hospital were facing severe shortages of medical staff, medicines, and food amid an ongoing siege, an Asayish source told Shafaq News.

Local media estimated that more than 10 civilians have been killed and 100 others were wounded so far, in addition to more than 30 casualties among fighters on both sides.

Sheikh Maqsoud and the adjacent Ashrafieh district, estimated to be around 80% Kurdish, have been under Kurdish control for years and are home to tens of thousands of civilians. Previous ceasefires in the two neighborhoods have repeatedly collapsed.

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