Aleppo Residents Witness Final Departure of Syrian Fighters

Aleppo Governor Announces Final Departure of SDF Fighters

Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib has confirmed that the last fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have left the city, following a ceasefire agreement. The SDF had been present in the city since 2011 and had been involved in clashes with government forces over the past few days.

According to al-Gharib, the SDF fighters departed the city on buses overnight, bringing an end to the fighting in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood. The Syrian army had taken control of the area earlier this week after a series of clashes broke out between the two sides.

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi stated that his group had reached an agreement with international mediators for a ceasefire and safe evacuation of civilians and fighters from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to northern Syria. The agreement was reportedly brokered by the United States, which has been working with the SDF against ISIS since 2014.

The fighting in Aleppo began on Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid, amid tensions over a failed agreement to integrate the SDF into government institutions. The deadline for this agreement passed at the end of last year, and the SDF refused to leave areas under its control.

The Syrian president met with US President Donald Trump at the White House in 2024 and has since joined the US-led coalition against ISIS. The fighting in Aleppo has ended, but analysts say that the underlying issues remain unresolved, including the question of whether the SDF will integrate into government institutions.

The SDF has an estimated 50,000 to 90,000 fighters, primarily based in the northeast of Syria and controlling nearly a quarter of the country’s territory. The group’s refusal to leave areas under its control and its desire for autonomy have been cited as major sticking points in negotiations with the government.

Source: Al Jazeera