Syrian Kurdish Council urges halt to fighting and lifting of Aleppo siege
Shafaq News– Qamishli
The Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS) on Wednesday urged an immediate halt to military operations and the lifting of the siege on Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods.
In a statement, the council’s general secretariat voiced deep concern over the ongoing clashes in the two predominantly Kurdish areas, which are home to tens of thousands of civilians.
It warned that the Syrian army’s classification of the neighborhoods as military zones, coupled with calls for civilian evacuations, “constitutes a dangerous development that could result in further civilian casualties and have repercussions beyond Aleppo, potentially affecting other parts of Syria.”
The death toll from ongoing clashes between the Syrian army and Asayish security forces in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo has risen to 11, with at least 76 people wounded, according to official and medical officials. Fighting has continued amid mutual accusations over responsibility for triggering the hostilities.
The council also called for the unimpeded entry of humanitarian and medical aid, urging all parties to prioritize dialogue, halt media escalation, ensure the protection of civilians, and refrain from drawing residential areas into military confrontations.
It further stressed the need for Syrian authorities to launch a comprehensive political process that addresses unresolved issues and constitutionally guarantees the rights of all components of Syrian society, with particular emphasis on the rights of the Kurdish people, as a pathway to stability and lasting peace.
The Syrian government said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) assertion that it has no military presence inside Aleppo “removes the group from any security or military role in the city,” stressing that responsibility for maintaining security and protecting residents lies exclusively with the Syrian state and its official institutions.
