Schools, institutions closed in Syria's Aleppo as clashes persist

Civilians fled Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsud amid a pause in fighting between Syrian government troops and Kurdish-led forces. Schools and public institutions were closed in north Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, as sporadic clashes, which killed nine people, between Syrian government troops and Kurdish-led forces continued into their second day. Syria's official news agency on Wednesday reported shelling from Kurdish neighborhoods on government-held areas, adding that Syrian troops had returned fire.