Fighting intensified on Thursday between Syrian government troops and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, with a fierce exchange of fire extending into the night and rescue workers scrambling to put out fires ignited by the shelling.

Plumes of smoke rose above the city skyline at dusk and the boom of artillery could be heard across Aleppo as the Kurdish fighters tried to repel the troops’ advance and cling to neighbourhoods under their control.

The fighting, which erupted on Tuesday, has driven more than 140,000 people from their homes and left at least seven civilians dead, according to Syrian authorities.

The deadly stand-off between Damascus and Kurdish authorities, who have resisted integrating into the central government, is a major challenge for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to unite the country after 14 years of civil war.

Stalled talks on ceasefire

Syria’s army gave a window on Thursday for residents to evacuate the neighbourhoods held by Kurdish forces in Aleppo before launching new strikes there. It released more than seven maps identifying areas it said would be targeted and announced a curfew in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh from 1200 GMT.

The Kurdish forces, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Asayish, or internal security forces, said they had pushed back Syrian troops’ attacks.

Syrian sources told Reuters the US was spearheading efforts to reach a ceasefire.

SDF head Mazloum Abdi said the government forces’ strikes and deployment of tanks had undermined “the chances of reaching understandings, create conditions for dangerous demographic changes, and expose civilians trapped in the two neighbourhoods to the risk of massacres”.

Two government officials told Reuters that negotiations were underway over the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from the city.

The Asayish, in a written statement, denied that its forces had requested safe passage and called instead on the Damascus government to withdraw its forces.

“The attacks carried out against civilians in Aleppo have unfortunately exacerbated concerns about the true intentions of the SDF and created a pessimistic picture regarding peace efforts,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint press conference with his Omani counterpart on Thursday.

“The SDF’s insistence on protecting what it has at all costs is the biggest obstacle to achieving peace and stability in Syria,” Fidan added.

Turkey views the US-backed SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a terrorist organisation and has warned of military action if the group does not honour the integration agreement.

Accusations of ethnic cleansing

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said he was deeply concerned by attacks on Kurdish neighbourhoods in Aleppo, warning that targeting civilians and attempts to alter the area’s demography amounted to what he described as ethnic cleansing.

Barzani called on all sides to exercise restraint, protect civilians and pursue dialogue.

The SDF said Damascus’s evacuation warnings ahead of shelling could amount to forced displacement and war crimes under international humanitarian law.

Kurdish-led authorities established a semi-autonomous administration in northeast Syria and parts of Aleppo during Syria’s 14-year war and have resisted fully integrating into the new government that took power after former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in late 2024.

Damascus reached a deal with the SDF last year that envisaged full integration by the end of 2025, but progress has been limited, with both sides accusing the other of stalling.

The US has sought to mediate, holding meetings as recently as Sunday, though those talks ended without tangible results.