ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — Fighting escalated in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday after tens of thousands of residents fled two predominantly ethnic Kurdish neighborhoods when the military ordered civilians to evacuate the area. The evacuations came during the deadliest round of recent violence between government forces and Kurdish fighters.
Syria’s military gave people until 3 p.m. (2 p.m. Israel time) to leave the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh, after which they would be considered a “closed military area.” Once the deadline ended, sounds of explosions were heard in the two neighborhoods. More than 46,000 people have been displaced in different areas of the province, according to Aleppo’s Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor.
Clashes and shelling earlier on Wednesday killed seven people in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and five others in the government-controlled areas. Dozens of people have been wounded. Syria’s Information Ministry said the army would launch “a limited military operation” in Aleppo, saying it came in response to SDF attacks on government-held parts of the largest city in the country and once its commercial center. The ministry said that such attacks in recent months had killed more than 20 civilians and wounded more than 150 others, and resulted in the deaths of more than 25 soldiers. (Read More)
