Washington – U.S. sources revealed on Tuesday that the United States intervened to de-escalate clashes between Internal Security forces (Asayish) and units of Syria’s transitional government Ministry of Defense in the northern city of Aleppo.
The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted sources in Washington as saying that U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Brad Cooper held contacts aimed at containing the violence in the Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo.
According to the sources, the United States is seeking to prevent further escalation that could be exploited by ISIS and hostile regional actors.
Clashes that broke out on Monday evening between Asayish forces and Syrian government units later came to a halt following a de-escalation agreement, a correspondent for +963 reported. The fighting had cantered around the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh districts before stopping completely after mediation efforts.
Read more: Syrian Government and Asayish Clash in Aleppo
In a statement, the Asayish said it had issued orders to its forces to cease responding to government attacks in response to ongoing de-escalation contacts.
For its part, Syria’s Ministry of Defense said the army’s General Command ordered a halt to targeting firing positions in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh after neutralizing several of them, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Earlier on Monday, the clashes resulted in three fatalities and at least 27 injuries, according to local and official sources. Our correspondent reported that a woman was killed and 17 people were injured in the two neighbourhoods.
The woman was identified as Fadwa Mohammad al-Kurdi, 57. Among the injured were Aydil Mohammad Ali, Dijla Othman Omar, Dogan Alo, Hannan Abdul Hamid, and Abdul Hamid Ismail.
Separately, Syria’s interim government Ministry of Health announced the deaths of a young man and his mother due to the clashes, as well as injuries to ten others. The ministry said all hospitals in Aleppo province were placed on full alert, with medical staff mobilized and supplies secured to handle emergencies.
The violence triggered displacement among residents in several parts of Aleppo. A +963 correspondent said families began fleeing their homes as clashes continued between the two sides.
In a statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused government forces of launching a heavy assault using medium and heavy weapons on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods.
