07.01.2026 18:25
The Syrian Army announced that the PKK/YPG opened fire on civilians trying to leave the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo. Thousands of civilians have set out to reach safe areas.
The Syrian Army Operations Command reported that the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, which uses the name SDG, opened fire to prevent civilians from leaving the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo.
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION TARGETS CIVILIANS IN SYRIA
The Operations Command stated in a statement to the Syrian official news agency SANA that the Syrian Army has not yet launched any offensive operations against areas controlled by PKK/YPG, but continues to ensure the safe exit of civilians from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods.
The statement expressed that PKK/YPG elements directly targeted civilians wanting to leave the neighborhoods to prevent their exit. The Operations Command noted that appropriate methods would be implemented soon in the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods to protect civilians from the pressures of PKK/YPG and to establish security and stability.
CIVILIANS ARE TRYING TO REACH SAFE AREAS
On the other hand, after the Syrian army declared military positions belonging to the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, which uses the name SDG in the country, as legitimate targets following the attacks initiated by the organization, thousands of civilians living in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods took action.
The AA reporter at the exit point of the neighborhoods reported that thousands of civilians were trying to cross into safe areas through the two humanitarian corridors opened by the Syrian army for civilians wanting to leave the region. Civilians reaching the city center are heading to the shelters prepared by the Aleppo Governorate and to areas they consider safe.
RECENT CLASHES IN ALEPPO
It was reported that in the PKK/YPG attacks that began in the city center of Aleppo on January 6, 1 soldier and 5 civilians were killed, and 31 people were injured. The Syrian army also sent reinforcements of dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers to the contact lines with PKK/YPG. Due to the clashes, work in official institutions in the city center was halted, and education was suspended.
Flights at Aleppo International Airport were also suspended. The terrorist organization PKK/YPG had attacked a school and a hospital in the Süryan neighborhood that evening.
Following the recent developments, the Syrian Operations Command announced that all military points belonging to PKK/YPG in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo were legitimate military targets, calling on civilians to stay away from the organization's positions and to leave the area. The Syrian Ministry of Information also announced that the army would initiate a limited military operation against the terrorist organization in Aleppo.