Syria army warns will strike Kurdish district of Aleppo as ceasefire set to crumble

Syria’s army warns it will renew strikes on a Kurdish-majority district of Aleppo and urges residents to evacuate despite a ceasefire announced earlier, state media reports.

The army says it will target military sites used by Kurdish fighters in the Sheikh Maqsud district, in statements published by state news agency SANA, accompanied by maps showing the areas.

The army has announced the opening of a humanitarian corridor from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm local time for civilians to leave and called on Kurdish fighters to lay down their arms, while an AFP correspondent near Sheikh Maqsud says residents were fleeing.

The announcement comes just hours after Syria’s defense ministry declared a ceasefire after three days of clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo that displaced tens of thousands of people.