Thousands Protest Kurdish Expulsion From Aleppo as Syria Tensions Escalate

Several thousand people marched through northeast Syria under heavy rain on Tuesday to protest the expulsion of Kurdish fighters from Aleppo following days of deadly clashes. The demonstrations highlight growing tensions between Syria’s new central government and Kurdish authorities, raising fears of wider conflict after more than a decade of war.

The violence in Aleppo has exposed one of Syria’s deepest fault lines. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after longtime leader Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024, has pledged to unify the country under a single leadership. However, Kurdish forces remain wary of his Islamist-led government and have resisted full integration into the new political structure.

According to Syria’s health ministry, five days of fighting last week left at least 23 people dead and forced more than 150,000 residents to flee two Kurdish-administered areas of Aleppo. Kurdish official Ilham Ahmad stated that 48 people were killed in government attacks, though it remains unclear whether the figures overlap. The final Kurdish fighters withdrew from Aleppo in the early hours of January 11, ending Kurdish control of parts of the city they had held since 2011.

In the northeastern city of Qamishli, protesters carried banners bearing the symbols of Kurdish forces and images of fighters killed during the clashes. Some posters depicted President Sharaa and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan crossed out with red “X” marks, accusing them of responsibility for Kurdish deaths. Turkey continues to accuse the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish militia, of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Ankara designates as a terrorist organization.

Kurdish authorities still govern a semi-autonomous region in northeast Syria. A March 2025 agreement aimed at integrating Kurdish administrations into the central government has stalled, with Kurdish leaders warning it could collapse entirely if further military offensives occur. Many Kurds say the Aleppo violence has deepened distrust toward Damascus and fear a repeat of sectarian bloodshed seen elsewhere in Syria.

The U.S. military has urged restraint, calling for renewed negotiations and dialogue. Local residents warn that a full-scale war would only increase suffering and further divide Syria’s communities, undermining hopes for long-term stability and peace.