EU Calls for Restraint as Türkiye Warns SDF Amid Intensifying Aleppo Fighting
The EU urged restraint over escalating violence in Aleppo, while Türkiye’s foreign minister warned the SDF to abandon separatism, as clashes and shelling continued in Kurdish neighborhoods amid rising tensions.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Amid escalating violence in Aleppo, the European Union expressed “great concern” over deadly developments in the city, calling on all sides to protect civilians, as Türkiye’s foreign minister delivered sharp warnings to the Syrian Democratic Forces during high-level talks in Ankara.
On Thursday, the European Union voiced concern over the situation in Aleppo, where Syrian government forces were preparing to conduct a new wave of strikes on Kurdish positions. EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said the bloc was calling on all sides to exercise restraint, protect civilians, and pursue a peaceful and diplomatic solution.
The EU announcement came as EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa were set to visit Damascus for talks with the country’s leadership.
In Ankara, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed developments in Syria during a joint press conference with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi. Fidan said that attacks on civilians in Aleppo had reinforced concerns about the SDF’s intentions, describing the group as the biggest obstacle to Syria achieving peace and stability.
Fidan said Türkiye’s preference was for an agreement that would bring stability to Syria, but added that recent attacks on civilians in Aleppo had created a pessimistic picture for peace efforts. He stated that the SDF’s insistence on maintaining its position “at all costs” contradicted the realities of Syria and the region.
“Time is a time for national unity,” Fidan said, adding that the SDF must fulfill its responsibilities and abandon terrorism and separatism. He stressed that Türkiye would continue to act as a guarantor of peace and stability in the region, following a responsible, principled, and constructive foreign policy based on dialogue and diplomacy.
Fidan said developments in Syria were of exceptional importance for Türkiye’s national security and that Ankara was closely monitoring the situation while remaining in coordination with regional and international partners.
On the ground, violent clashes were reported around the Kurdish neighborhood of Aleppo between Internal Security Forces and Damascus-affiliated factions. The media center of the Internal Security Forces in Aleppo said its forces engaged in fierce confrontations against attacks by Damascus factions and their affiliates, inflicting heavy losses.
According to the same statement, Damascus-affiliated factions carried out extensive and indiscriminate shelling using tanks, artillery, and drones on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, targeting residential areas inhabited by civilians. The Internal Security Forces said they shot down two additional drones and continued heavy fighting across multiple fronts.
These developments follow earlier announcements by Damascus authorities of intensive targeting operations and a curfew in Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo, including Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid, beginning at 1:30 p.m., as military operations escalated in the city.
As diplomatic statements, military warnings, and clashes converge in Aleppo, calls for restraint stand in stark contrast to the escalating violence on the ground, with civilians caught at the center of the unfolding crisis.