Aleppo engulfed in clashes as Syrian Army strikes Kurdish forces, displacing 160,000

Fighting Intensifies in Northern Syria as Thousands Flee Aleppo

ALEPPO, Syria — Fierce fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has reignited in the northern city of Aleppo, displacing more than 162,000 civilians.

Local emergency officials said residents fled the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods to escape the escalating violence. The clashes broke out Tuesday after SDF fighters refused to withdraw under the terms of a ceasefire agreement.

A Syrian military source reported that government forces are "making progress" in Sheikh Maqsoud, the epicenter of the conflict, and now control 55% of the district. Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that the army has captured several SDF members during the advance.

The violence follows a failed agreement to integrate the SDF into the national army by the end of 2025. The Syrian government reportedly gave Kurdish fighters a six-hour window to retreat, but Kurdish councils rejected the demand, refusing to "surrender."

At least 22 people have been killed and 173 others injured since Tuesday, according to recent tolls. The Syrian military confirmed that three of its soldiers are among the dead.

Both sides have traded accusations of atrocities. The SDF accused the government of committing war crimes by attacking a hospital, while Damascus officials maintained the facility was being used as a weapons depot.

The renewed escalation of combat in Aleppo represents the most significant stress test for President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration since the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime one year ago. Beyond the tactical maneuvers on the ground, the violence exposes a fundamental geopolitical fault line in post-war Syria: the unresolved status of Kurdish forces within the new state architecture.

At the core of the crisis is the collapse of a framework intended to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the national military by late 2025. For the central government in Damascus, the restoration of full territorial sovereignty is the preeminent policy objective. The presence of an autonomous, armed entity controlling strategic sectors of a major metropolitan hub like Aleppo is viewed by the Sharaa administration as an existential threat to national unity. From this perspective, the current military operation is a decisive attempt to rectify the power fragmentation that has characterized Syria for over a decade.

Conversely, for Kurdish leadership, the standoff is framed as a struggle for survival. Years of de facto autonomy and a lead role in the counter-ISIS campaign have fostered deep-seated skepticism regarding Damascus’s long-term intentions. This distrust is exacerbated by the "Turkish factor." Ankara’s apparent support for the Damascus offensive signals a significant shift in regional alliances. By backing the central government’s move to consolidate power, Turkey aims to address its own primary security concern: the dismantling of the SDF, which it views as an extension of the outlawed PKK.

The outcome of the battle for Aleppo will likely dictate the trajectory of the Syrian state. It remains to be seen whether this confrontation will serve as a painful step toward a centralized, unified nation-class, or if it marks the beginning of a protracted insurgency and a new era of chronic instability.