Aleppo, Dec. 22 (SANA) Several people were wounded on Monday after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) opened fire with heavy machine guns and shells on positions of the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian Arab Army and on surrounding residential neighborhoods near Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud in northern Aleppo, officials said.
The Defense Ministry’s Media and Communications Directorate told SANA that SDF launched a sudden attack on deployment points of the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian Arab Army around Ashrafieh, resulting in injuries among security personnel.
The administration denied claims circulated by SDF-affiliated outlets alleging that army forces had attacked SDF positions in the two neighborhoods. It said the Syrian Arab Army was responding to sources of SDF fire targeting civilians’ homes, their movements, and army and security deployments around Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said SDF units stationed in the two neighborhoods “committed an act of treachery” against Internal Security Forces manning joint checkpoints after a sudden, uncoordinated withdrawal, followed by opening fire on the checkpoints despite existing agreements. The statement said one Internal Security Forces member and one army soldier were wounded, in addition to injuries among civil defense personnel and several civilians.
SANA reporter in Aleppo said SDF used heavy machine guns, RPGs and mortar shells to target the vicinity of the two neighborhoods and the area stretching from Shihaan Roundabout to Lairmoun Roundabout, as well as Internal Security Forces points. The reporter said the Gaziantep–Aleppo highway was closed due to direct targeting of the roadway.
According to the reporter, four wounded people, including a woman and a child, were taken to al-Razi Hospital after shelling of residential areas. Two members of the Syrian Civil Defense were also injured while on duty at Shihaan Roundabout.
Dozens of families were displaced from targeted neighborhoods and moved urgently to safer areas, particularly al-Khalidiya and Nile Street, the reporter said, noting that continued indiscriminate SDF gunfire threatens civilians’ lives and hampers the arrival of rescue teams.
The Syrian Civil Defense said a rescue vehicle came under fire while four responders were heading to the Aleppo Governorate Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management at Shihaan Roundabout, despite the vehicle bearing clear civil defense markings and the responders wearing official uniforms.
The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said targeting civil defense teams constitutes a serious crime and a flagrant violation of humanitarian law, obstructing efforts to rescue civilians in urgent need and preventing the delivery of life-saving humanitarian services.
Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib said SDF units stationed in Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud have continued repeated violations in recent weeks affecting civilians and their security. He said the forces abruptly removed joint checkpoints without prior coordination, followed by direct attacks on civilians, the Internal Security Forces, the army and civil defense.
The governor urged residents, especially those living near the clashes, to avoid areas of tension and roads leading to the city center until further notice, refrain from gathering near flashpoints, and fully cooperate with the Internal Security Forces for their safety.
He also advised residents in affected areas to remain indoors or in safe locations and to rely only on official, trusted sources for information. Al-Gharib said readiness levels have been raised across relevant directorates — notably emergency and disaster management, health, services and social affairs — to ensure swift response, adding that the state will not tolerate threats to Aleppo’s security.
