DAMASCUS — Clashes between Syrian government forces and US-backed Kurdish militants have escalated in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, killing at least nine people and displacing thousands.

Clashes resumed on Tuesday between General Security Forces of the transition Government and the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), following a brief pause after the ceasefire announced in late December 2025.

The Syrian army announced they would launch a new operation against positions of the US-backed group in Aleppo at 13:30 local time on Thursday. Authorities also declared a curfew in the province where intense clashes entered its third day.

Initial fighting near the Alleramoon roundabout – on the historic city’s western outskirts – spread to the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, with shelling also affecting surrounding government-controlled areas.

Significant damage has been reported to homes and public infrastructure, including healthcare. At least three major hospitals have ceased operations.

Schools, universities and government offices in the city were also shut down on Wednesday, and authorities announced the suspension of flights to and from Aleppo airport until Thursday evening.

The Syrian Army Operations Command declared a curfew on Thursday from 1.30 pm local time (10:30 GMT) in the city’s Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid neighbourhoods, at which point it would launch “targeted operations” against SDF positions in those areas.

It urged civilians to stay away from SDF positions, and warned the Kurdish-led forces not to target people trying to leave the neighborhoods, saying it was working to ensure the safety of the fleeing population.

The SDF acknowledged a large deployment of Syrian army vehicles near the areas, labelling it a “dangerous indicator that warns of escalation and the possibility of a major war”.

The SDF media office said it held the Syrian government responsible for the humanitarian consequences of the fighting, and warned that the continuation of its approach would lead to serious consequences.

The government was calling on people to take shelter in mosques and schools, but they appeared to lack the capacity required. Others were reportedly heading north towards the enclave of Afrin, Al Jazeera reported from Aleppo.

Many of the fleeing families left on foot through humanitarian corridors opened by the Syrian army for civilians to leave flashpoint areas. They carried what they could, unsure when or if they would return.

Some families were also ferried out on city buses.

“We fled the clashes, and we don’t know where to go … Fourteen years of war, I think that’s enough,” Ahmed, a 38-year-old man who only gave his first name, told the AFP news agency while carrying his son on his back.

Another displaced resident, 41-year-old Ammar Raji, said he and his family were “forced to leave because of the difficult circumstances”.

“I have six children, including two young ones … I am worried we will not return,” Raji said.

Turkey’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday it was closely monitoring developments in the city and was ready to provide assistance to Syria if asked to do so.

The United Nations expressed concern, with a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling “on all actors to immediately deescalate, exercise maximum restraint and take all measures to prevent further harm to civilians”.

“The United Nations reiterates that all parties have a clear obligation, under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that approximately 30,000 people have been displaced, with more than 2,000 families relocating to Afrin district and around 1,100 people sheltering in nine collective centres inside Aleppo.

The SDF took control of large swaths of territory in Syria’s north and northeast during the country’s 14-year civil war, and its incorporation into state institutions has remained a point of contention since President Ahmed al-Sharaa took office a year ago.

The deal reached in March, in which the SDF agreed for “all civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria” to be merged into “the Syrian state, including border crossings, the airport, and oil and gas fields”, has yet to be carried out.

Syria’s Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa accused the SDF of violating the agreement more than 100 times, and said at least 20 civilians have been killed in attacks over the past month.

“An urban city and major city like Aleppo cannot function under consistent threat for the daily life,” he told Al Jazeera.

“We are talking here about an agreement [that] has been signed and needs to be implemented. And until now, the SDF and the armed group inside this neighbourhood violated the agreement. And so … that’s [what] forced the government to secure the civilians and implement and restore the order on the ground,” he added. — Agencies