Security Alert in Azaz Following Clashes Between Factions Affiliated with the Interim Government

The city of Azaz, located in northern Aleppo province and controlled by Turkey-backed factions, witnessed heightened security tension and a military alert following sharp disputes between security leaders affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government.

Local sources reported that the disagreement erupted between the security chief in al-Bab and the head of public security in Azaz, after an exchange of threats between the two sides over issues involving security personnel accused of taking bribes and committing abuses.

According to the sources, both parties threatened to carry out mutual raids and assassinations, prompting forces deployed in the area to reinforce their presence and establish new checkpoints at the city’s entrances and exits, amid public concern that the situation could escalate into armed clashes.

In an attempt to contain the crisis, a meeting was held between representatives of the internal security forces in Azaz and several local community leaders, to discuss residents’ demands for vacating the security headquarters south of the city and resolving the ongoing disputes.

This tension comes amid the absence of intervention from the central authorities or public security leadership of the interim government, raising questions about the local administration’s ability to maintain stability and prevent similar incidents, which have occurred periodically among rival factions in the region.