The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out raid and arrest campaigns in the eastern Aleppo countryside today, Wednesday, 24 December, amid accusations that Syrian government forces violated the truce around the al-Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo city (northern Syria).
Syrian state run al-Ikhbariya reported that the campaign targeted the villages of Wadihah and al-Hayit in the eastern Maskanah countryside (eastern Aleppo Governorate, northern Syria), without providing further details on the reasons for the operation or the number of detainees.
A military source affiliated with the Syrian government, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, told Enab Baladi that the raids and arrests carried out by the SDF in the Aleppo countryside primarily aim at recruitment.
He considered the targeted area one of the strategic front lines.
The area in the eastern Maskanah countryside is regarded as militarily sensitive, which has pushed the SDF to intensify its campaigns to attract local recruits to join its ranks, according to the source.
This comes as Syria’s Interior Ministry published a statement on its official Facebook account saying that the Internal Security Command in Aleppo Governorate continues to carry out its duties under heightened security measures to protect civilians and ensure their safe exit from the Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiya neighborhoods.
The ministry said these measures come amid what it described as attempts by the SDF to pressure residents and impose forced conscription.
It also cited violations that it said include assaults, harassment, and threats to civilians’ lives and property.
According to the statement, the Internal Security Command deployed extensively around the area to secure civilians and protect their property.
It added that legal measures will be taken against anyone who attempts to disrupt the city’s security or threaten residents’ safety.
“Asayish” accuses government of violating the truce
In turn, the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) affiliated with the SDF issued a statement about new violations of the truce around the Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiya neighborhoods in northern Aleppo.
In its statement today, Wednesday, it said factions affiliated with the government’s Ministry of Defense carried out a new truce violation on several fronts around the two neighborhoods.
It added that a civilian excavator was targeted while working at a stone quarry between the Youth Housing area and Castello, causing material damage and forcing it to stop operating.
According to the statement, other violations were recorded around Sheikh Maqsoud, particularly in the Shayhan roundabout area and at the al-Awarid checkpoint.
These actions represent a violation of the agreements and the truce related to the ceasefire, and threaten security and stability in the two neighborhoods and the wider area, the statement said.
The Asayish held the government responsible for these violations, saying they pose a direct threat to civilians’ lives and endanger public security.
It called for immediate measures to stop them and to ensure all parties adhere to the signed agreements and truces.
Responding to the Asayish statement, a military source told Enab Baladi that the violations being discussed began from the Asayish side, stressing that government forces did not initiate escalation.
The source said Asayish members initially attacked positions belonging to government forces, prompting the latter to respond.
He added that what happened afterward came as part of that response and within the same context, with no intention to expand the clash.
Relative calm
Aleppo city has seen relative calm since the evening of Monday, 22 December, following a series of clashes and exchange of shelling between the Asayish forces and the Syrian army.
Tensions focused around the Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiya neighborhoods, as well as the al-Layramoun and Shayhan roundabouts in the north of the city.
The final toll from the Asayish forces’ targeting of residential neighborhoods in Aleppo rose to four killed and nine injured, according to the official al-Ikhbariya channel, citing the Aleppo Health Directorate.
According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent, intermittent displacement has continued in Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiya from the morning of Tuesday, 23 December until today, amid fears that clashes could resume and spread.
The correspondent reported that families have been leaving toward quieter neighborhoods, amid anxiety and anticipation among residents who fear renewed escalation in the coming hours.
The displacement has not been limited to Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiya, as it has extended to neighborhoods near the contact lines, including Sheikh Taha, where some families left their homes as a precaution in case clashes resume or the area comes under shelling.
Displacement from Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafiya neighborhoods in Aleppo
SDF carries out arrest campaign in Aleppo as both sides trade accusations of truce violations Enab Baladi.
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