**ALEPO CITY** – The Syrian army declared on Saturday that it had successfully regained control of the last remaining Kurdish-held territory within Aleppo city, marking a significant development in the protracted conflict. This assertion, however, was met with immediate denial from Kurdish forces, who maintained their resistance. The volatile situation culminated in a brokered ceasefire, facilitating the evacuation of Kurdish-led fighters and a substantial number of displaced civilians from the contested Sheikh Maksoud district.
The dramatic turn of events followed days of intense clashes that erupted on Tuesday, overwhelming an earlier, fragile truce. The Syrian army’s announcement on Saturday morning stated that ground operations had concluded and that combing operations within the Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood were complete. Later that day, Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib confirmed that the last Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) personnel had departed the city. This evacuation, coordinated overnight, saw fighters and civilians boarding buses bound for northern and eastern Syria, areas still under Kurdish administration.
The underlying cause of the renewed hostilities appears to stem from a failure to integrate Kurdish forces into the nascent Syrian government apparatus established after the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Negotiations regarding the merger of the SDF into the national army had reportedly reached an impasse, precipitating the violent confrontation. The gravity of the humanitarian crisis was underscored by reports from Cyprus Mail and Al Jazeera, which indicated that at least nine civilians had perished and more than 140,000 people had been forced to flee their homes. Al Jazeera further reported over 30 fatalities and more than 150,000 displaced individuals.
The international community, including the United States and other global powers, had earlier expressed their endorsement of a ceasefire. US Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, speaking from Amman, had welcomed such an agreement earlier in the week. The eventual ceasefire, achieved through international mediation, provided a crucial window for the safe withdrawal of those caught in the crossfire. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, also known as Mazloum Kobani, acknowledged the agreement, stating, "We have reached an understanding that leads to a ceasefire and securing the evacuation of the dead, the wounded, the stranded civilians and the fighters from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to northern and eastern Syria." He additionally implored mediators to uphold their commitments to prevent further transgressions and to facilitate the safe return of displaced persons.
The Syrian army’s successful reclamation of Sheikh Maksoud effectively extinguishes the last Kurdish-controlled enclave within Aleppo city, a presence that had persisted since 2011. While this represents a significant territorial gain for the Syrian government, Kurdish forces continue to exert considerable influence over vast swathes of northeastern Syria, where they govern a de facto semi-autonomous region. The immediate impact on Aleppo city has been a return to relative calm, albeit at a considerable human cost, with over 150,000 individuals now displaced from their homes. The long-term implications for inter-ethnic relations and the ongoing reconstruction of Syria remain to be seen.