Current situation in Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, Aleppo

Seven main roads (Lirmon Roundabout, Jandoul Roundabout, Hadika Road, Sheihan Roundabout, Ashrafiyeh Hill, Al-Awarid, and Al-Jazira) form the main connections between Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh and the rest of Aleppo’s neighborhoods.

According to the agreement reached on April 1 between the General Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods and representatives of the transitional government in Aleppo, seven joint checkpoints were set up on these roads, staffed by the General Security and the Internal Security Forces from the two neighborhoods. This measure was meant to help implement several of the agreement’s provisions, including clauses (5), (8), and (3), among others.

However, recent violations by the transitional government—which, according to the latest tally by ANHA agency, reached 77 breaches of the agreement—have fueled tensions. These included drone overflights, the abduction of civilians on the roads, and the militarization of civilian facilities around the neighborhoods, such as turning the Asturian Hospital into a military point.

Two days ago, the transitional government forces began erecting earth mounds, resulting in the closure of two vital roads. The first was Lirmon Roundabout, west of the neighborhoods, closed on September 30, and the second was Jandoul Roundabout, northeast of the neighborhoods, closed yesterday for the same reason. The joint checkpoints established on these two roads also ceased to function.

The closure of these roads has caused difficulties for both vehicles and pedestrians, forcing them to take alternative routes, particularly affecting worker transport vehicles and pedestrians. This is especially critical since the two roads connect the industrial zone on the outskirts of Ashrafiyeh and the Shqeif industrial area in Sheikh Maqsoud with other regions.

As a result, only five major roads remain open for movement between the two neighborhoods and the rest of Aleppo, and the joint checkpoints there are still operating. Nevertheless, recent developments raise questions about whether these remaining roads might also be closed in the future.

It is also worth noting that the General Council of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods announced in a statement yesterday that the ban on fuel deliveries to the two neighborhoods remains in effect, and has even tightened following the closure of the Deir Hafer road, which links Aleppo to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, for more than six days.

A-H 

ANHA