Syrian gov't forces clash with Kurdish SDF in Aleppo

Damascus [Syria], October 10: One Syrian security personnel was killed Monday when fighting erupted in two Kurdish-held neighborhoods of Aleppo, raising tensions between Syria's transitional authorities and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said heavy and medium weapons were used as pro-government forces targeted the Sheikh Maqsoud district amid reports of an attempted incursion.
The Syrian defense authorities' media office said in a statement Monday night that army movements in northern and northeastern Syria were part of a planned redeployment following repeated SDF attacks on civilians, army, and security forces. The statement said the moves aimed to "secure strategic points" and insisted that the government remains committed to the March 10 agreement with the SDF, denying any intent to launch a wider offensive.
The statement said the army "stands by its responsibility to protect civilians' lives and property, as well as the safety of its personnel," and accused the SDF of "continuous aggression." It added that one internal security member was killed and three others wounded by SDF shelling.
The observatory reported that government forces had closed off all entrances to the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods, effectively placing them under siege.
The clashes follow months of friction between the SDF and government forces over control of key districts in Aleppo. Under the March 10 accord, the two neighborhoods were to remain under SDF local administration while being integrated into national institutions.
State-run Alikhbaria TV said SDF units were firing mortar shells at military positions outside the two neighborhoods. Residents contacted by phone in Aleppo said explosions were echoing across the city as clashes intensified. Dozens of families fled the area amid continued exchanges of fire, according to Alikhbaria TV.
Tensions between the SDF -- a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition -- and Syria's new transitional authorities have been simmering for months, threatening the fragile stability that followed the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The SDF, which controls the oil-rich northeast, seeks broader autonomy and recognition of Kurdish rights -- goals that clash with the new government's push for a unified central state. Disputes over control of oil fields and the integration of SDF forces into the national army have fueled repeated confrontations, including in Dayr Hafir in August and September 2025.
The SDF accuses Damascus of violating an earlier March 2025 integration deal, while the government says the SDF undermines national unity. Regional tensions, particularly Türkiye's opposition to Kurdish self-rule, have added pressure to both sides.
Despite a March 2025 agreement between SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa pledging cooperation and cultural protections, vague terms and mutual distrust have slowed progress. The parliamentary elections held on Sunday excluded SDF-held regions, deepening alienation.
No independent verification of casualties or the scale of the fighting was immediately available.
Source: Xinhua