Syrian army tells civilians to stay away from Kurdish positions east of Aleppo |
President Ahmed al-Sharaa repeated calls on Wednesday for Syria's Kurds to integrate into the state, as the army deployed reinforcements near a Kurdish-held area east of Aleppo following deadly clashes in the city.
Syria's Islamist-led government is seeking to extend its authority across the country following the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
But progress has stalled on folding the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration and forces into the central government despite a deal reached in March, and differences between the two sides have occasionally boiled over into fighting.
In excerpts broadcast by state television from an unaired interview with the Iraqi Kurdish channel Al Shams, Sharaa said "protecting the Kurdish population requires integration into the new reality, as the Syrian state represents a significant asset for them".
The Syrian army had earlier urged civilians to stay from all Kurdish military positions east of Aleppo, adding that "a humanitarian corridor will be opened towards the city" on Thursday morning until the........