The Syrian army’s deadline for the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG to leave Aleppo ended on Thursday afternoon. Footage from Aleppo’s three neighborhoods where civilians were fleeing showed Syrian forces trading fire with YPG members on the streets.
Earlier on Thursday, the army ordered residents to evacuate.
It has released more than seven maps identifying areas it said would be targeted in strikes, urging residents to leave immediately for their safety. Its operations command announced a curfew in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh from 3 p.m. (12 p.m. GMT).
The fighting, which erupted on Tuesday, has driven thousands of civilians from their homes and killed and wounded several people, state media reported.
The YPG said its members were engaged in intense clashes with Damascus-aligned factions and auxiliaries near Aleppo's Syriac neighborhood, adding that it had inflicted what it described as heavy losses.
The violence and competing claims over responsibility highlight a deepening and increasingly deadly standoff between Damascus and the YPG, which has objected to integrating into the central government.
On Thursday, More residents were seen leaving Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh through designated safe corridors.
The YPG controls much of northeastern Syria and has been Washington's main local partner.
It established a self-styled autonomous administration in the northeast and parts of Aleppo during Syria's civil war.
Damascus reached a deal with the YPG last year that envisaged full integration of the group into the Syrian army by the end of 2025, but progress has been limited, with both sides accusing the other of stalling.
The U.S. has sought to mediate, holding meetings as recently as Sunday, though those talks ended without tangible results.
Diplomats warn that failure to integrate the YPG into Syria's army risks further violence.
