Sheikh Maqsoud-Ashrafieh Council rejects withdrawal, warns of forced displacement in Aleppo

Shafaq News– Damascus

The General Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud-Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo of northern Syria, said on Friday it would remain defending the area, warning that ongoing attacks aim to forcibly displace residents and alter Aleppo’s demographic composition.

According to a statement received by Shafaq News, the council said the two neighborhoods, which the Kurds represent about 80% of their population, have been subjected to heavy weapons fire from the Syrian government forces since January 6, with shelling hitting mosques, schools, hospitals, civilian homes, and service facilities. “Residents and internal security forces [Asayish] are putting up a strong resistance against the attacks, which are intended to carry out massacres against civilians and trigger a new wave of forced displacement.”

The council undermined the March 10 and April 1 agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), accusing Turkiye of participating in the attacks in the two neighborhoods, a scenario rejected earlier by Ankara.

Read more: March 10 Syria–SDF Pact tested as unwritten timeline nears end-2025

“What previously happened to the Alawite and Druze communities is now being repeated in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.”

It concluded by refusing to surrender, saying “there is no trust in handing over security control to the Damascus government and that a decision has been taken to remain in the neighborhoods and defend them.”

The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday a ceasefire and set a deadline until 9:00 a.m. for armed groups to withdraw from several neighborhoods in Aleppo. Armed individuals leaving the areas were allowed to carry only light personal weapons, while the Syrian Arab Army will secure their escort toward designated areas in northeastern Syria.

Syria’s Health Ministry said the violence, which began on January 6, resulted in the deaths of four civilians and left 18 others wounded, with varying degrees of severity. while the SDF said the clashes have killed six people, including two women and a child, and wounded 44 others. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that at least 21 people were killed overall.

The two-neighborhood council described the incident as a war crime.