Syrian army repels assault by YPG/PKK terrorists in Aleppo

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Syrian army forces repelled an attack by the terrorist YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Aleppo city in northern Syria, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"Our units were able to thwart an attack launched by the SDF on the Ashrafiyah front in Aleppo city, inflicting losses on the attacking groups," ministry spokesman Hussein Abdul Ghani said in a statement carried by the state news agency SANA.

SDF, a US-backed coalition, currently controls one-third of Syria's territory, including most of the country's oil and gas fields.

The group, which is the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group, refuses to join the new Syrian Defense Ministry following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

The SDF attack came a few days after Syria's coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus witnessed coordinated attacks by remnants of the Bashar al-Assad regime. These were the most intense assaults since the regime’s collapse, targeting security patrols and checkpoints, resulting in casualties.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.