Syrische Sicherheitskräfte belagern kurdische Stadtviertel in Aleppo

Eigentlich sollte es ein Beispiel für eine Einigung zwischen von den kurdischen Kräften der SDF und der Zentralregierung in Damaskus sein: Die Regelung für zwei von der SDF kontrollierte Stadtviertel in Aleppo.

Seit einiger Zeit nehmen aber auch dort die Spannungen wieder zu und nun soll es zu einer Art Belagerung gekommen sein:

 Militants affiliated with the Syrian government have reportedly imposed a “complete siege” on Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Syria’s northern Aleppo province, a local official told Rudaw on Monday. The move comes amid growing reports of a military buildup by Damascus-aligned forces near these areas.

Hevin Sulaiman, a senior official from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, said that “militants affiliated with the interim government in Damascus have closed all seven entrances to the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods,” placing the two quarters “under a complete siege.”

The reported escalation comes only days after Nouri Sheikho, another co-chair of the General Council for the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, told Rudaw on Wednesday that “the situation in the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh has been deteriorating for over a month.

“There has been a [sustained] media campaign targeting these neighborhoods,” Sheikho said, noting that the military build-up includes “the establishment of new checkpoints, watchposts, and roadblocks,” spreading fear among the local population.

“People are increasingly worried that open conflict could erupt,” he warned.

The heightened tensions come despite a landmark agreement signed on March 10 between Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi. The deal called for the integration of all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria (Rojava) under the authority of the Syrian state and included a commitment to a nationwide ceasefire.

A follow-up agreement, signed in April reportedly with US involvement, created a joint security framework for Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh - areas controlled by Kurds for over a decade.

That deal also included provisions for prisoner exchanges. As part of the implementation, SDF fighters were withdrawn from the two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, although local forces affiliated with the SDF, known as Asayish, remain in place.