2nd LD Writethru: Syrian army launches heavy strikes on Kurdish militia positions as civilian toll rises

DAMASCUS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Thursday launched heavy shelling against positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, as the civilian death toll rose amid escalating clashes, state media and local authorities said.

The state-run SANA news agency, citing a military source, said the strikes targeted previously identified SD