On Thursday, Tom Barrack, the U.S. Special Envoy to Syria, called for the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces to pause hostilities, reduce tensions immediately, and commit to de-escalation in Aleppo.

“The United States is closely following developments in the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo,” U.S. Special Envoy Barrack said.

“We urge all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to place the protection of civilian lives and property above all other considerations,” he added.

“Let us prioritize the exchange of ideas and constructive proposals over the exchange of fire. The future of Aleppo, and of Syria as a whole, belongs to its people and must be shaped through peaceful means, not violence,” he underlined.

Read More: KRG Prime Minister Expresses Concerns Over Attacks on Syrian Kurds

On Tuesday, heavy clashes broke out between Kurdish forces and Syrian government forces. Fighting continued on Thursday despite efforts to reach a ceasefire. 

On Thursday, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani expressed concerns over attacks on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, and called on all sides to “exercise restraint, protect civilians’ lives, and resort to dialogue and negotiations to resolve disputes.

“We also hope that Syria’s current system of governance will rise to the responsibility of a democratic and inclusive authority for all the people of Syria,” he added.

Read More: President Barzani Warns of Grave Danger to Kurdish Civilians in Aleppo

On Wednesday, President Masoud Barzani called on the Syrian government “not to allow political disagreements to turn into ethnic conflict, and not to permit the problems and tensions in the Aleppo region to result in pressure, abuse, forced displacement from their ancestral homes, or ethnic cleansing against Kurdish citizens.” 

According to local media reports, 10 civilians have been killed and 64 injured so far during the Syrian government force’s assault on the two Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya in Aleppo.