Syria Violence between Kurds and government troops in Aleppo continues
In Aleppo in northern Syria, violent clashes between Kurdish forces and government troops are continuing for the third day in a row.
08.01.2026, 13:47
SDA
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least twelve civilians have been killed in the fighting so far. Its head, Rami Abdel-Rahman, told the German Press Agency (dpa) that women and children were among them.
In addition, at least four members of the government forces and one Kurdish fighter had also been killed. The monitoring center based in Great Britain also reported around 60 injured.
This is the heaviest fighting in Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, since the fall of long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024.
Negotiations on the integration of the Kurds so far without result
On Tuesday, fighting broke out between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and government troops and militias allied with them. In March last year, the Kurds and the government had actually agreed to integrate the institutions in the north and north-east of the country, which had previously been administered autonomously by the Kurds, into the state order. The SDF fighters were also to become part of the regular Syrian armed forces. Negotiations have recently stalled. They have not yet been implemented.
According to the state news agency Sana, the Syrian army announced "targeted operations" against SDF positions in Kurdish districts of Aleppo from 1.30 pm (local time, 12.30 pm CET). From then on, a curfew will apply until further notice.
Both sides accuse each other of having launched the attacks. The SDF accused the transitional government of "intimidating the civilian population" and spoke of "forced displacement".
Turkey pledged its support to the government in Damascus in the fight against the SDF. The Turkish army is not currently involved. However, should Syria make a request, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that it would provide the necessary assistance. Ankara maintains close ties to the transitional government and considers the SDF, which is led by Kurdish militias, to be a terrorist organization.
