ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday said he had tried to stop the recent clashes between the Kurdish forces and Syrian army in Aleppo since the beginning of the violence.
Clashes erupted between the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and the Syrian Arab Army in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood on January 6. The clashes lasted for nearly a week, resulting in dozens of casualties and the displacement of around 150,000 people.
When receiving France's Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durel in Erbil on Wednesday, President Barzani reiterated that the Kurdistan Region “fully supports” the rights of Syria’s Kurds and other communities,” adding that “from the beginning of the events in Aleppo, we have worked with all sides to stop fighting and preserve stability, and we continue our efforts toward de-escalation,” the Kurdistan Region Presidency cited him as saying in a statement.