ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday warned that the latest round of violence in Aleppo, including "the targeting of Kurds" to alter the region's demographics, "raises serious questions about both the authorities in Damascus and the conscience of the international community."
In a statement released by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the Kurdish Premier said that “the events in Aleppo and the targeting of Kurds, aimed at changing the region’s demographics and threatening civilians’ lives, call into question both the authorities in Damascus and the conscience of the international community.”
Prime Minister Barzani added that the “attacks on Kurdish-populated neighborhoods in Aleppo have deeply concerned us,” emphasizing that “war and violence offer no fundamental solution to any problem," asserting that "no justification or pretext should allow ethnic cleansing."
The Kurdistan Region’s Premier further urged “all parties to take responsibility, protect the lives of civilians, and turn to dialogue to resolve problems,” expressing hope that “Syria’s current governance system evolves into a democratic and inclusive authority accountable to all Syrian people.”
The strong-worded statement by Prime Minister Barzani comes as the Syrian Arab Army on Thursday resumed attacks on the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood in the northern city of Aleppo, as tensions with the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in the two districts entered their third day. The army also announced that it would impose an afternoon curfew as it plans to intensify operations.
Earlier in the day, the Asayish reported that attacks on the Kurdish neighborhoods had killed at least eight "civilians" and injured 57 others since Tuesday.
The Damascus government has also reported casualties it claims were caused by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto military force in northeast Syria (Rojava) - an accusation the Kurdish-led forces categorically deny.
Prime Minister Barzani’s remarks followed a similar statement issued by President Masoud Barzani on Wednesday, in which he warned of a “serious threat” to civilian lives in Aleppo and cautioned against “the danger of ethnic cleansing against Kurds in the area.”
“The dangerous situation and the fighting and violence currently taking place in the city of Aleppo are deeply concerning and pose a serious threat to the lives of civilians and innocent citizens. There is also the danger of ethnic cleansing against Kurds in that area,” President Barzani said.
He also called on the Syrian government “not to turn political disagreements into ethnic conflict, and not to allow the issues and problems in the Aleppo area to result in pressure, oppression, displacement from ancestral lands, or ethnic cleansing against Kurdish citizens.”