Amid Ceasefire, Kurdish Neighborhoods in Aleppo Descends Into Darkness as Sides Trade Blame
Overnight clashes cut government electricity to Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods. Local councils, Damascus officials, and the SDF issued competing statements as civilian casualties were reported amid a fragile ceasefire.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A complete outage of government electricity struck the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo city after clashes erupted in their surroundings, severing multiple power lines feeding the areas.
The fighting, which took place overnight in the vicinity of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, led to the disruption of the electricity line exiting the Sheikh Maqsoud and Sheikh Taha feeders. The Rasafa line supplying both neighborhoods was also cut near the al-Shaqif station, resulting in a total loss of power.
In a statement addressed to public opinion, the General Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods condemned what it described as attacks targeting Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and Bani Zaid. The council said the assaults were part of a series of escalating measures ongoing since Oct. 6, while the neighborhoods have been under what it described as a tight siege since Sept. 25.
According to the statement, the attacks were premeditated and preceded by steps including cutting electricity and internet services, closing roads, launching inciting media campaigns, and the sudden withdrawal of General Security personnel from joint checkpoints affiliated with the interim government, citing documented video evidence.
The council said the attacking factions used heavy and medium weapons, including tanks and rocket launchers. It reported that shelling of residential areas killed a civilian woman and wounded 19 civilians with varying injuries as a result of what it described as indiscriminate bombardment.
The statement said the attacks constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law and pose a threat to civil peace, warning of worsening conditions for more than 55,000 families living in the affected neighborhoods. It held the interim government in Damascus and the Aleppo governor responsible for the attacks and the imposed siege, calling for accountability for what it described as undisciplined factions operating under the Ministry of Defense.
On Monday, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba accused the Syrian Democratic Forces of carrying out what he described as systematic attacks in Aleppo. He said the alleged attacks targeted densely populated residential neighborhoods and al-Razi Hospital, resulting in the deaths of four civilians and injuries to 14 others, including civil defense volunteers.
Speaking to Syrian state television, al-Baba said the escalation followed what he described as suspicious hostile activity detected by the Syrian Arab Army from SDF positions. He said government forces responded to what he described as the threat, after which the SDF withdrew its elements from joint checkpoints and opened fire on Internal Security Forces, injuring two personnel.
Al-Baba said the SDF expanded its targeting to several neighborhoods in Aleppo and al-Razi Hospital, prompting what he described as a direct response by the Syrian Arab Army and Internal Security Forces against what he identified as sources of fire in the Youth Housing area. He said the area contains military gatherings, warehouses, and operations rooms affiliated with the SDF, adding that the response resulted in the killing of more than 13 SDF members, including a senior commander.
He said the Syrian state remains committed to the March 10 agreement and is documenting what it described as repeated violations by the SDF and submitting them to international guarantor parties. He added that the government remains committed to peaceful solutions and Syrian-Syrian dialogue.
Also on Monday, the SDF Media Center issued a statement denying allegations by security and military bodies affiliated with the Damascus government that accused the SDF of targeting neighborhoods in Aleppo. The SDF said Damascus-affiliated factions were using tanks and artillery against residential neighborhoods.
The SDF said its forces had already handed over their positions to the Internal Security Forces, known as Asayish, in accordance with the April 1 agreement. It placed responsibility on what it described as fragmented factions affiliated with the Damascus government, accusing them of besieging Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh for four months and repeatedly carrying out provocations and attacks against civilians without government intervention.
The developments unfold against a fragile ceasefire between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF. Fighters on both sides were ordered to observe a ceasefire following deadly clashes in Aleppo, as calls were renewed for the integration of Kurdish forces into Syria’s national army.
The violence erupted ahead of a deadline to implement a March 10 agreement aimed at integrating Kurdish civil and military institutions into the central government by the end of the year. Both sides accused the other of initiating the clashes. State media reported civilian casualties from shelling, while the SDF said one woman was killed and several civilians wounded by rocket and tank fire carried out by Damascus government factions in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh.
Implementation of the agreement has stalled amid ongoing disagreements, despite international pressure.
As electricity remains cut and competing accounts continue to emerge, the situation in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh highlights the fragility of ceasefire arrangements and the growing toll on civilians amid renewed escalation in Aleppo.