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On Tuesday, violent clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) erupted in the country’s largest city Aleppo killing dozens. The clashes come during a period of intensified efforts between the Syrian government to integrate the SDF into the Syrian military and bring its territory under the control of Damascus. On Thursday, government forces ordered the evacuation of civilians from the contested neighborhoods as both the SDF and Syrian government accuse the other of deliberately targeting civilians. The government announced ceasefire early Friday. The fighting, which centered around the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud, resulted in at least 22 deaths according to Al Jazeera. SDF fighters rejected a government ultimatum to evacuate from Aleppo. According to Al Jazeera, the government has provided 50 buses to transfer the fighters to SDF controlled territory in northeastern Syria. Since fighting broke out on Tuesday more than 100,000 residents have fled their homes in the contested neighborhoods of Aleppo. The fighting in Aleppo set off a flurry of diplomatic efforts to deescalate the violence. The US, which has strong ties to both the SDF and the Syrian government, called for negotiations between the two parties. The Turkish government expressed support for the Syrian government and offered to intervene on behalf of the Syrian government if needed. Turkey has long been suspicious of the SDF and advocated for its integration into the Syrian armed forces. Syria’s ethnic and religious minority communities have been hesitant to disband their own militias due to the presence of Islamist fighters in the Syrian army. Islamist fighters have carried out massacres and abuses in earlier fights between Druze and Alawite communities last year.
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