Assad regime cuts off fuel to YPG/PKK-occupied neighborhoods in Aleppo

AZAZ, Syria (AA) – The Bashar al-Assad regime has stopped the flow of fuel to Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafieh neighborhoods occupied by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in Aleppo in northern Syria, according to local sources.

The move is part of the regime’s efforts to replace the local councils in Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafieh neighborhoods via planning local elections on Sept. 18, the sources said.

The YPG/PKK terror group is reportedly opposing the polls, a move which prompted the Assad regime to ban fuel shipments into the two neighborhoods as of Nov. 26 the sources added.

The two neighborhoods were placed under a 10-day blockade imposed by the Assad regime on April 7, preventing the entry of fuel, flour, food and medicines into the area.

In response, the YPG/PKK terror group imposed a blockade on the Assad forces in Al-Hasakah province and Qamishli district on April 9.

Some areas in northern Syria are still controlled by the YPG/PKK terrorists, with the terror group beginning to nest in the city center of Aleppo.

In 2016, the YPG/PKK terrorist group provided strategic support from the Sheikh Maqsood district to the Assad regime and Russia during their siege and capture of Aleppo.

While the regime allows the YPG/PKK presence in Aleppo city center, the terror group permits the regime forces to deploy at some points throughout Al-Hasakah province, northeast of the country.

In Al-Hasakah province, the two parties occasionally engage in short-term conflicts arising from the struggle for dominance.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report.