Civilian Toll Rises as Syrian Arab Army Pushes into Aleppo’s Kurdish Neighborhoods, SOHR Chief Says
Abdulrahman warned that the humanitarian situation in both neighborhoods has reached a critical level.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Syrian Arab Army has taken control of more than half of the Ashrafiyeh neighborhood in Aleppo following days of intense clashes and shifts in local alliances, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
SOHR head Rami Abdulrahman said on Thursday that fighting continues in several parts of the neighborhood, with the situation escalating into street-to-street combat. He attributed the rapid advance of government forces primarily to the involvement of the Bakara tribe, which he said played a key role in facilitating access for the attacking forces.
The Bakara tribe includes Abu Ahmad Zakur, a Syrian government advisor on tribal affairs. According to sources cited by SOHR, the tribe has reportedly promised “security protection” to fighters who abandon their positions and join government forces.
Abdulrahman noted that a small group of tribal fighters launched an attack using three military vehicles and succeeded in breaching defensive lines around Ashrafiyeh, although one of the vehicles was destroyed during the fighting.
“The attacking forces have gained control of several parts of the neighborhood, resulting in casualties on both sides,” he said.
The clashes come after four consecutive days of military operations by the Syrian Arab Army against the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsud in Aleppo. SOHR reported that the attacks involved heavy shelling and indiscriminate bombardment, leading to significant displacement among civilians.
Abdulrahman warned that the humanitarian situation in both neighborhoods has reached a critical level. Hospitals and health centers are struggling with severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies amid a growing number of wounded and continued bombardment.
According to the SOHR, at least 13 civilians have been killed and 64 others injured during the ongoing attacks on the two neighborhoods.
Fighting remains ongoing as residents face deteriorating humanitarian conditions and continued insecurity across the affected areas.