Government forces forbid entry of construction materials to areas in Aleppo
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian government forces prevent construction materials from entering to the neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud in the city of Aleppo, northwest Syria, a source said on Thursday.
A source in Aleppo Governorate told North Press that Branch 322 of the General Security Directorate issued a formal request to the governorate to forbid the entry of construction materials to the aforementioned neighborhoods.
The neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud and the northern countryside of Aleppo, locally known as Shahba Region, are home to thousands of IDPs from Afrin Region, which was occupied by Turkey and its affiliated armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), in 2018 in a military operation dubbed “Olive Branch.”
The Turkish operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 original Kurdish inhabitants of Afrin, who sheltered in some 50 villages and five camps in the Shahba region.
The Administration of Shahba and Afrin Region run the area that extends between the city of Aleppo, Azaz region and the Afrin region. It also provides some services and has established the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) to maintain order and security there.
The region’s location between areas under the control of three parties, the Turkish-backed SNA, the Syrian government forces, and the Iranian-backed militias, hinder the access of the population to aid and relief assistance especially amid frequent attacks by the SNA factions and Turkish forces.
Additionally, the government forces tighten the siege from time to time on both neighborhoods and the IDP camps in Shahba Region, preventing the entry of fuel, food, and medical supplies to the area.
After the request was approved on April 10, the General Security Directorate instructed military checkpoints surrounding the area to prevent the entry of trucks loaded with construction materials.
North Press reached out to an administrative source in the two neighborhoods who confirmed the information.