WASHINGTON DC - US policymakers on Wednesday reacted to the latest attacks by Syrian forces on Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo city, calling for stability.
"I'm concerned about the level of violence that we're seeing throughout that area. And I say that as someone who's worked in the Middle East region, I've spent a lot of time working with Kurdish communities throughout the Middle East as well as other minority communities," Senator Andy Kim told Rudaw when asked about the latest attacks by the Syrian forces on Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh quarters in Aleppo.
"I will continue to try to make sure that there is the oversight that we see the transparency of what is actually happening and to be able to do everything we can to make sure that we can minimize this violence and ensure safety as much as possible but it is a very difficult situation.
Syrian state forces and Kurdish internal security forces (Asayish), which control the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh in northern Aleppo, have been engaged in intense fighting since Tuesday. Both sides have traded blame and reported casualties, most of whom are civilians.
The clashes have taken place despite a landmark agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim government in Damascus, which includes a nationwide ceasefire. Another agreement, which was signed a month later, focuses on the two neighborhoods.