On the second day of fighting between the two sides, an AFP correspondent reported that Syria’s army started shelling Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday after the deadline for residents to evacuate had passed.
As intermittent battles between government troops and Kurdish-led forces continued into their second day, Aleppo, in north Syria, closed its schools and public institutions, according to state media. The authorities also declared the suspension of flights at Aleppo’s airport.
Nine people were killed in Tuesday’s clashes, which were the deadliest between the two sides. The March agreement to integrate the Kurds’ military and semi-autonomous administration into Syria’s new Islamist government has not yet been carried out.
Abdul Karim Baqi, 50, told AFP, “Aleppo was a ghost town at night, with no movement, the shops closed, and many streets dark with no electricity.” Baqi, who resides in one of Aleppo’s two neighborhoods with a Kurdish majority, fled the carnage and sought safety in a relative’s house.
The violent clashes on Tuesday were blamed by the Syrian government and Kurdish-led troops, who have yet to carry out a March agreement to integrate the Kurds’ military and semi-autonomous administration under Syria’s new Islamist government.
Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in the city were designated “closed military zones” by the Syrian military starting at 3 p.m. (1200 GMT), while “two safe humanitarian crossings” for civilians were established.
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