Aleppo: Residents in northern Syria have accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of preventing civilians from leaving areas around the town of Deir Hafer, despite the announcement that a humanitarian corridor had been set up by the Syrian army. Syrian government troops and allied militias have been fighting SDF forces in the region since last week.
According to Ghana News Agency, residents of Deir Hafer and surrounding villages reported that Kurdish-led SDF forces blocked civilians from reaching the humanitarian corridor, which was intended to provide safe passage to government-controlled areas of Aleppo governorate. Multiple civilian accounts stated that SDF fighters fired shots into the air to disperse crowds attempting to reach the crossing near the village of Hmeimeh, west of Deir Hafer.
One resident, who requested anonymity, revealed that families were threatened and, in some instances, expelled from their homes, which were then converted into military locations. A source in Aleppo governorate informed dpa that explosives were placed on several roads leading to Deir Hafer and the town of al-Khafsa to prevent civilian movement. The same source mentioned that the governorate dispatched eight buses to evacuate civilians to Aleppo, Manbij, and al-Bab.
The source accused the SDF of using civilians as human shields and warned journalists, civilians, and civil defence teams gathered near Hmeimeh of potential shelling or drone attacks targeting the area. The SDF, however, denied the allegations, describing them as 'unfounded.' SDF spokesman Farhad al-Shami told dpa that military tensions in the area are due to the buildup by the Damascus government and its shelling activities, which are hindering civilian movement.
Last week, heavy fighting erupted in Kurdish-controlled districts of Aleppo, a city with a population of over 1 million. The conflict stems from a dispute over the integration of previously autonomous Kurdish administrations into the Syrian state system.