Syrian army closes Aleppo's Kurdish areas as clashes persist

"The Syrian army has declared Aleppo's Kurdish areas closed military zones and ordered civilians to leave as clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) extended into a second day. The Syrian Army Operations Command told Al Jazeera that all SDF military positions in Aleppo neighbourhoods are legitimate targets as sporadic fighting between the government forces and Kurdish-led SDF continued on Wednesday after violence flared the previous day."

"The clashes, which killed nine people on Tuesday, according to officials, are the fiercest fighting since the two sides failed to implement a March deal to merge the United States-backed semiautonomous Kurdish administration and military force with Syria's new government. The Syrian army announced that two neighbourhoods in Aleppo would become closed military zones from 3pm (12:00 GMT). In the meantime, it said, it would operate humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave."

"All military sites of the SDF organisation within the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods of Aleppo are a legitimate military target for the Syrian Arab Army, following the organisation's major escalation towards the neighbourhoods of Aleppo city and its perpetration of numerous massacres against civilians, the Army Operations Authority said in a statement."

Syrian government forces declared parts of Aleppo's Kurdish districts closed military zones and ordered civilians to evacuate as clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces intensified. Sporadic fighting continued into a second day, with officials reporting nine deaths and warning that SDF positions in neighbourhoods are legitimate military targets. The clashes are the fiercest since a March agreement to integrate semiautonomous Kurdish forces with state institutions failed to be implemented. The army announced closed zones for two neighbourhoods and said humanitarian corridors would be opened to allow civilians to leave. The SDF warned that large army deployments signalled a risk of major escalation.

Read at www.aljazeera.com