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Photos: Civilians flee Aleppo amid intensified fighting

Thousands are displaced in Aleppo as clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF intensify for the third consecutive day.

Civilians carry their bags and belongings as they flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria. [Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters]
By Al Jazeera Staff and News Agencies
Published On 8 Jan 2026

Fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has raged for a third consecutive day in northern Aleppo, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes.

The Syrian Army Operations Command imposed a curfew on Thursday at 1:30pm (10:30 GMT) across the Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid. Following this declaration, government forces launched what they termed “targeted operations” against SDF positions in these areas.

The conflict has triggered massive displacement. Civilians have evacuated through humanitarian corridors established by the Syrian army, many departing on foot with whatever possessions they could carry, uncertain about when—or if—they might return to their homes.

Syrian civil defence employees assist an elderly woman displaced from the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in the city of Aleppo. [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]
The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces traded blame over who started the deadly clashes on January 6. [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]
The Syrian Army Operations Command released a map of what it said were SDF military positions in the neighbourhoods, urging civilians to stay away, and warned Kurdish-led forces not to target people trying to leave. [Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters]
Aleppo’s Directorate of Social Affairs and Labour said more than 138,000 people had been displaced from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh due to the fighting. [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]
Syrian residents in vehicles try to flee from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods after clashes broke out. [Omar Albam/AP Photo]
“We fled the clashes, and we don’t know where to go … Fourteen years of war, I think that’s enough,” Ahmed, a 38-year-old man who gave only his first name, told the AFP news agency while carrying his son on his back. [Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters]
Another displaced resident, 41-year-old Ammar Raji, said he and his family were “forced to leave because of the difficult circumstances”. Raji said, “I have six children, including two young ones … I am worried we will not return.” [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]
The clashes marked the fiercest fighting between the army and the SDF since the two sides have failed to implement a March agreement to integrate the Kurdish-led forces into Syria’s new state institutions. [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]
Schools, universities and government offices in Aleppo were shut down on Wednesday, and authorities announced the suspension of flights to and from the city’s airport until Thursday evening. [Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters]

These were the developments on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Published On 8 Jan 2026