The regime forces closed the Al-Jazeera checkpoint in Aleppo city, predominantly inhabited by Kurds, in an effort to pressure the "Asayish" in Qamishli. Patrols were deployed in the Ashrafieh neighborhood to check identities, search citizens, and impose restrictions on them. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the formation of long queues of vehicles in front of the Al-Awarid checkpoint manned by regime forces due to thorough inspections, aimed at tightening pressure on the residents of the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, and to exert pressure on the "Asayish," which is clashing with the "National Defense" forces in Qamishli.
Sources from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights recently indicated that regime forces are preparing to impose a blockade on the Shahba region in Aleppo, which mostly consists of Syrian Kurds and displaced individuals from Afrin in the Aleppo countryside. According to these sources, regime forces have cut off the road connecting Aleppo city to the Shahba area and prevented the arrival of food supplies and fuel, coinciding with events occurring in the city of Qamishli.
Qamishli, located in northeastern Syria, is largely under the control of Kurdish forces; however, regime forces and allied militias maintain a security presence near the airport and in other neighborhoods. Tensions between the two sides occasionally flare up over territorial control. Political disagreements between Damascus and the dominant Kurdish political group in northeastern Syria often escalate into violent clashes.
It is noteworthy that the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are predominantly Kurdish, established a quasi-independent enclave in northern Syria since the war began in 2011. This Kurdish group, which controls most of the region's oil resources, has developed its own administration under the name of "Self-Administration." They have demanded recognition as a quasi-independent entity and representation in political negotiations with the regime, although these talks, which commenced several years ago, have not yielded significant results.
