(260108) -- ALEPPO, Jan. 8, 2026 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken with a mobile phone shows civilians leaving areas in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo city, northern Syria, on Jan. 7, 2026. Crowds of residents were forced to flee the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, as clashes flared between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
As clashes intensified, Syrian authorities on Wednesday declared Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh closed military zones, imposed curfews, and opened designated humanitarian corridors for evacuation. Civil defense teams provided first aid and transport to shelters.
TO GO WITH "Roundup: Renewed clashes in Syria's Aleppo force thousands to flee Kurdish districts" (Str/Xinhua)
