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3. Aleppo Shuts Down As Clashes Between Syrian Government And Kurdish Forces Intensify

Schools and public institutions were shut in north Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, as sporadic clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces continued into their second day, according to state media.

Tuesday's clashes, which killed nine people, were the worst between the two sides, who have so far failed to implement a March deal to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria's new Islamist government.

The Syrian army said that Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods will be considered "closed military zones" as of 3.00pm (1200 GMT) on Wednesday, creating "humanitarian corridors" for civilians to leave through beforehand.

"At night, Aleppo was a ghost town; there was no movement, the shops were closed, and many streets were dark with no electricity," Abdul Karim Baqi, 50, told AFP. Baqi, who lives in one of Aleppo's two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, escaped the violence and sought refuge at a relative's home.

Escalation

The Syrian army began shelling Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods on Wednesday, after the deadline given for civilians to leave the area had passed, an AFP correspondent said.

On Tuesday, civil aviation authorities announced "the suspension of flights to and from Aleppo airport for 24 hours and their diversion to Damascus airport" due to the violence, SANA reported. Schools, universities, and government offices were also closed.

During the Syrian civil war, Aleppo was the scene of fierce fighting between rebels and forces of ousted President Bashar al-Assad before he regained control of the city in 2016. Assad was ousted in a lightning Islamist-led offensive in 2024.

The March agreement on the Kurdish authority's integration into the state was supposed to be implemented by the end of 2025. The Kurds are pushing for decentralized rule, an idea that Syria's new authorities have rejected.

AFP