📰 Shelling on Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods kills woman, wounds 17 civilians

QAMISHLI, syria-ministers-discuss-military-cooperation-with-putin-in-russia-report/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Syria ministers discuss military cooperation with Putin in Russia: Report">syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – One woman was killed and at least 17 civilians were wounded on Monday after Damascus administration-affiliated factions shelled the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, the syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian Democratic troops (sdf) Media Center stated. In a series of statements, the SDF stated the attack involved rockets, tanks, and artillery targeting densely populated residential areas. The latest toll includes the 57-year-old woman Fadqa Mohammed al-Kurdi who succumbed to her injuries, while six members of the Internal security troops of North and East Syria (Asayish) were also wounded.

The escalation followed an earlier assault on a checkpoint at Shihan Roundabout, which injured two Asayish members. The SDF said the shelling persisted despite an April 1 agreement under which its forces handed over positions in the city to the Asayish and the security forces of the Syrian transitional administration.   The SDF rejected accusations by Damascus authorities that its forces targeted neighborhoods in Aleppo, calling the claims “fabricated. ” It rejected reports alleging an attack on al-Razi Hospital, saying field evidence and multiple videos document tank and artillery fire by government-affiliated factions on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh. as per the SDF, video footage shows the government’s General Security forces withdrawing from a joint checkpoint shortly before the clashes, describing the move as a “premeditated step” that paved the way for the assault. The SDF indicated that the persisted shelling of areas home to more than 1.

5 million civilians constitutes a grave violation of international relief law and warned that the escalation threatens civilian lives and Aleppo’s security.   Although they have long served as safe havens for thousands of relocated families from Afrin Kurds and across Syria, the two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh remain under a strict blockade imposed by the Syrian transitional government, worsening daily hardships for residents who struggle to access food, medicine, and basic necessities. Over the past decade, the two neighborhoods have functioned as semi-autonomous areas within Aleppo, militarily protected by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Asayish, and administratively governed by a local civil council. These institutions oversaw service provision, security, and community affairs, while maintaining limited coordination with state institutions.

During the era of the Assad regime, the neighborhoods were subjected to repeated blockades and severe restrictions, particularly by the government’s Fourth Armored Division, which controlled surrounding checkpoints. The siege often prevented the entry of essential goods, including food,…