Tens of thousands flee Aleppo neighborhoods as Syrian government clashes with Kurds intensify

08/01/2026

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — Clashes between government and Kurdish forces in a contested area in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo intensified Thursday after Syrian authorities ordered civilians to evacuate.

Syrian authorities opened a corridor for civilians to evacuate for a second day and tens of thousands fled.

The government of Aleppo province gave residents until 1 p.m. local time to evacuate in coordination with the army. State news agency SANA, citing the army, said the military would begin “targeted operations” against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid half an hour after that deadline.

The military later issued a series of maps with the areas under evacuation order.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene heard sporadic sounds of shelling as civilians streamed out of the area Thursday morning. More than 142,000 people have been displaced across the province, according to the Aleppo Central Response Committee.

“There’s a large percentage of them with difficult medical issues, elderly people, women, and children,” said Mohammad Ali, operations director with the Syrian Civil Defense in Aleppo.

Kurdish forces said at least 12 civilians were killed in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, while government officials reported at least nine civilians have been killed in the surrounding government-controlled areas in the fighting that broke out Tuesday. Dozens more on both sides have been wounded. It was not clear how many fighters were killed on each side.

Each side has accused the other of deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure, including ambulance crews and hospitals.

Clashes intensified in the afternoon, with continuous exchanges of shelling and drone strikes, and tanks could be seen rolling into the contested neighborhoods. The SDF-affiliated Internal Security Forces said they had “destroyed two armored vehicles and inflicted casualties on the attackers” as they advanced.

Aleppo governor Azzam al-Gharib, meanwhile, said Thursday evening that “a large number” of SDF fighters had defected or fled and that security forces were preparing to deploy in the area.

Churches hosting displaced people

St. Ephrem Syrian Orthodox Church in Aleppo city was hosting about 100 people who had fled the fighting. Parishioners donated mattresses, blankets and food, priest Adai Maher said.

“As soon as the problems started and we heard the sounds (of clashes), we opened our church as a shelter for people who are fleeing their homes,” he said.

Among them was Georgette Lulu, who said her family is planning to travel to the city of Hasakeh in SDF-controlled northeast Syria when the security situation allows.

“There was a lot of bombing and loud noises and a shell landed next to our house,” she said. “I’ve been through these circumstances a lot so I don’t get frightened, but my niece was really afraid so we had to come to the church.”

Hassan Nader, a representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Aleppo said about 4,000 were staying in shelters in the city while tens of thousands had gone to other areas of the province, and the ministry was working with NGOs to supply them with food, medicine and other necessities.