SDF’s Abdi warns against escalation in Aleppo Kurdish districts
Shafaq News- Aleppo
The commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, warned on Thursday against what he described as a potential repeat of violence seen in Syria’s coastal regions and the southern city of Suwayda in Aleppo, cautioning against unilateral solutions imposed through continued fighting and the use of force.
In a statement, Abdi said the deployment of tanks and artillery inside Aleppo’s residential neighborhoods, the shelling of unarmed civilians, and their forced displacement were undermining ongoing negotiations.
He added that attempts to enter Kurdish districts during talks were creating conditions for “dangerous demographic changes and placing civilians trapped in the areas at risk of mass killings.”
Abdi noted, he had been working for several days with all parties to halt the attacks, stressing support for residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, two predominantly Kurdish districts in northern Aleppo.
الاستمرار في نهج القتال ولغة الحرب لفرض حلول أحادية الجانب أمر غير مقبول، وقد أدى في السابق إلى مجازر ارتقت إلى جرائم حرب في الساحل السوري والسويداء.إن نشر الدبابات والمدفعية في أحياء مدينة حلب، وقصف المدنيين العزّل وتهجيرهم، ومحاولات اقتحام الأحياء الكردية أثناء عملية التفاوض،…
— Mazloum Abdî مظلوم عبدي (@MazloumAbdi) January 8, 2026
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show Syrian army armored vehicles and tanks being moved toward the outskirts of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.
Earlier, the Internal Security Forces, known as Asayish, denied media reports claiming they had requested safe corridors to withdraw from Aleppo neighborhoods amid rising tensions with Syrian government forces.
The Syrian army’s operations command previously announced the imposition of a curfew in Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and the Bani Zaid district. “Humanitarian corridors would be opened to allow civilians who wished to leave areas of escalation,” the statement added, alongside warnings identifying locations targeted for shelling.
These developments come amid repeated clashes in and around Aleppo, particularly near Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, with the Syrian government and the SDF exchanging accusations over violations of agreements previously signed between the two sides.
