Azaz has lately been at the center of the Syrian conflict. Kurdish forces need the city to seal the last stretch of the porous Syrian-Turkish border, while the Turks, according to adviser to the Syrian government Abdul Kadir Azuz, want Azaz to be able to provide assistance to radical groups fighting against al-Assad.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are reported to be staying on the outskirts of rebel-held Azaz. Turkish forces have shelled the YPG positions in the northern Aleppo province, particularly in this area, to prevent the Syrian Kurds from liberating the strategically important city.