President Masoud Barzani on Wednesday warned that the current heavy fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish Asayish forces in Aleppo raises the danger of ethnic cleansing against Kurds.

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“The dangerous situation and the fighting and violence currently taking place in the city of Aleppo are a source of deep concern. They pose a serious threat to the lives of civilians and innocent citizens and raise the danger of ethnic cleansing against Kurds in that area,” he said.

“I call on the Syrian authorities not to allow political disagreements to turn into ethnic conflict, and not to permit the problems and tensions in the Aleppo region to result in pressure, abuse, forced displacement from their ancestral homes, or ethnic cleansing against Kurdish citizens.” 

Furthermore, he called on all Kurdish groups, and especially the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to do everything “within their capacity to halt the fighting and clashes, prevent further bloodshed, and work together to pursue dialogue and talks to resolve the issues.

“Political disagreements must not become a pretext for endangering civilian lives or for ethnic cleansing against the Kurdish people. Such acts constitute crimes against humanity and will have grave and dangerous consequences.”

On March 10, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa reached an eight-point deal to integrate the SDF into the new Syrian government, which was welcomed by the Kurdish leadership in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In addition, there was a deal in April to keep the peace between Kurdish and Syrian government forces, have SDF forces withdraw, and establish joint checkpoints between the Asayish and the Syrian General Security forces.

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Moreover,  during the MEPS Forum in Duhok on November 19, Commander Abdi underlined that he hoped that the SDF-Damascus integration agreement reached on March 10 would be implemented at the end of year through dialogue. Despite a meeting between Damascus and SDF leaders on January 4, no solution has been reached, although both sides confirmed dialogue would continue.

On Tuesday, heavy clashes broke out between Kurdish forces and Syrian government forces, which continued on Wednesday. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the Syrian army launched a new offensive against the Kurdish-led forces, while calling on civilians to leave the two Kurdish-controlled neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya by 3:00 pm local time.

Although many civilians have left the area, there are still thousands remaining in these neighborhoods. 

The Asayish said they would repel and resist efforts by Damascus to enter these neighborhoods.