The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has issued a firm denial of recent media reports claiming the Kurdish-led force sought a "safe passage" to withdraw from the embattled Aleppo neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood.

In a strongly-worded statement released on [Date], the SDF labeled the reports as "misleading" and accused certain media outlets of deliberately circulating false information.

"Some media outlets continue to mislead the public by publishing false statements and falsely attributing them to our forces, including the baseless claim that our forces requested safe passages to leave their neighborhoods in Aleppo," the statement read. "We firmly affirm that these allegations are completely untrue."

The group, which controls several neighborhoods in northern Aleppo, positioned itself as a defensive force and stated it had no intention of retreating.

"We have not requested, and will not request, any safe passages, because we are not the aggressor," the SDF reiterated.

Instead, the statement shifted responsibility for de-escalation onto pro-Syrian government forces, which have recently escalated shelling and attacks in the area. The SDF demanded the withdrawal of these opposing troops from the vicinity of civilian areas.

"The party that must withdraw its tanks, artillery, and armed personnel from the vicinity of residential areas is the attacking force from the factions of the Damascus government, which is carrying out blatant aggression against civilian-populated neighborhoods," the statement added.

Concluding its rebuttal, the SDF framed the conflict in clear terms: "The truth is clear: the aggressor must retreat, while the defender of their land will not."