Clashes between Syrian troops and Kurdish forces close schools and institutions in Aleppo, killing nine and halting flights as a peace deal stalls.
DAMASCUS: Schools and public institutions remained closed in Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday as sporadic clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces entered a second day.
State media reported the closures, a day after violence killed nine people in the worst fighting since a stalled integration deal.
The March agreement aimed to merge the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria’s new Islamist government by the end of 2025.
“At night, Aleppo was a ghost town, no movement, the shops were closed, and many streets were dark with no electricity,” resident Abdul Karim Baqi told AFP.
Baqi, who lives in a Kurdish-majority neighbourhood, escaped the violence to seek refuge with relatives.
Syria’s SANA news agency reported shelling from Kurdish neighbourhoods on government-held areas, stating troops returned fire.
Kurdish representative Abdul Karim Omar denied the claims, saying their areas only possess light weapons.
Omar said the Kurdish neighbourhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsud were “completely besieged” but confirmed “efforts towards de-escalation”.
Civil aviation authorities suspended flights to Aleppo airport for 24 hours, diverting them to Damascus due to the violence.
Tuesday’s clashes killed nine people, mostly civilians, with both sides trading blame for starting the fighting.
Resident Joud Serjian said the violence “reminded us of the war,” adding her family had nowhere else to go.
Aleppo was a focal point of fierce fighting during the Syrian civil war before being recaptured by ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in 2016.
Assad was later ousted in a 2024 Islamist-led offensive.
The Kurds continue to push for decentralised rule, a concept rejected by Syria’s new authorities.
