 "Syria declares ceasefire in Aleppo after three days of clashes with Kurdish forces")
Syria’s government has declared a ceasefire in Aleppo following three days of intense clashes with Kurdish fighters, which displaced more than 140,000 people.
The pause in fighting, the most severe in the country in over six months, took effect at 3 am local time (midnight GMT), reported The Guardian.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Kurdish militants were to withdraw from the contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid and be granted safe passage to the north-east of Syria, controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The fighters would be allowed to take light arms with them, added the report.
The durability of the truce remains uncertain, as the SDF has not yet confirmed its agreement.
Past ceasefires in Aleppo have frequently collapsed.
According to a Reuters report, the Asayish, the SDF’s internal security forces, denied requesting safe passage and instead demanded that Damascus withdraw its soldiers.
Residents in Aleppo reported that the fighting appeared to stop overnight. Footage from the contested areas showed a cessation of gunfire that had been constant in recent days.
Syrian government forces posted videos showing clearing operations and inspections of underground tunnels previously used by the SDF to move fighters and weapons beneath the city.
The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack confirmed the Aleppo ceasefire on X, saying Washington “warmly welcomes the temporary ceasefire” and thanked both sides for their “restraint and goodwill that made this vital pause possible.”
Quick Reads
View AllRelations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls about a third of Syria, have deteriorated in recent months. A plan to integrate the SDF into Syria’s new army by the end of last year stalled, with both sides accusing each other of undermining Syria’s unity.
Aleppo, where the SDF holds a pocket of Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods, has been a long-standing flashpoint. The recent clashes intensified tensions, with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi warning that the fighting had damaged “the chances of reaching understandings.”
Damascus insists on extending government control over all of Syria, maintaining the state’s monopoly on violence, and preserving national unity. Both sides have accused each other of war crimes during the three-day conflict, with the SDF alleging ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, while the government claims the SDF used civilians as human shields.
The US, which has long backed the SDF in its fight against Islamic State, has sought to mediate a merger between the SDF and Damascus, but little progress has been made. Turkey, a key ally of the Syrian government, views the SDF as linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has offered support to Damascus if requested.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, “The SDF’s insistence on protecting what it has at all costs is the biggest obstacle to achieving peace and stability in Syria.” The SDF’s territorial control remains a major sticking point as Damascus seeks to consolidate authority over the country.
With inputs from agencies
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