ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Syrian army on Wednesday declared all Kurdish-led forces within Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods as “legitimate military targets for the Syrian Arab Army,” saying the two humanitarian corridors will close by 3 pm local time. 

“We declare that all SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] military positions within the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo are legitimate military targets for the Syrian Arab Army,” state broadcaster al-Ikhbariya reported, citing the army’s operations command. 

Clashes between Damascus-affiliated and Kurdish-led security forces are ongoing in Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, with at least seven people having been killed and 41 others injured, according to SDF-affiliated media. 

Both sides have traded blame for the clashes. The Damascus-linked Aleppo Media Directorate on Tuesday accused the Kurdish-led SDF of initiating the attacks, reporting several casualties among government personnel.

But security forces (Asayish) positioned in Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighborhoods asserted that their ranks are not under the SDF control in response. “These accusations are made towards the security forces, saying that the security forces are the SDF. We have rejected these claims numerous times,” an Asayish spokesperson said, adding that “the only responsibility of the security forces is the protection of their land and people.” 

“We urge our civilian population in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo to immediately distance themselves from SDF positions,” the army stated, adding that two humanitarian corridors from the areas will close by 3 pm. 

The US-backed SDF is the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava) and controls about a third of Syria’s territory. The Kurdish-led force has repeatedly stated that it has no presence in Aleppo, with local Asayish units overseeing security in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods instead.

As a result of the clashes, the Aleppo-Gaziantep road was closed by security forces, and flights at Aleppo International Airport were suspended for 24 hours.

The escalations follow a high-level meeting on Sunday between an SDF delegation headed by the forces’ chief Mazloum Abdi and officials in Damascus, discussing the implementation of the March 10 agreement concerned with the integration of Kurdish-led units in the country into the Syrian army.

While the Kurdish side asserted that the meeting was held in a “professional and responsible” manner, ensuring “well-considered results,” Syrian sources told state media that it did not lead to any “tangible results.”

The implementation of the agreement has been stalled due to the Kurdish side demanding a democratic integration while Damascus maintains its centralized stance, with frequent clashes between the two sides further escalating tensions.