Damascus [Syria], January 11: A drone has struck a governorate building in Aleppo, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The drone, believed to be launched by Kurdish-led SDF on Saturday, hit the building as several high-ranking officials, including Aleppo's governor and two Syrian government ministers, were holding a news conference inside.
The SDF and the Syrian army have been battling for control of Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods this week. It was the first time the SDF had reportedly fired long-range drones into other areas of Syria's second-largest city.
Al Jazeera's Resul Serdar Atas said the upper floors of the governorate building were blackened by the blast caused by the drone.
"While this was happening, Governor Azzam al-Gharib was delivering a press briefing, giving the latest developments and trying to inform the public about what is happening now, not only in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh - where heavy fighting has been ongoing for four days - but also across the rest of the city," he said, adding that it was not clear if there were any casualties. The drone strike came shortly after the Syrian army announced it had suspended all military operations in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood. Under the proposed agreement, the SDF fighters were to withdraw from the predominantly Kurdish area, surrender their weapons and be transferred to the town of Tabqa in northeastern Syria.
Source: Qatar Tribune
