Syrian Government Forces Expel Kurdish-Led SDF From Aleppo After Days of Deadly Fighting

After several days of intense fighting in Aleppo, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) elements left the city under an internationally mediated ceasefire that allowed evacuations from the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhoods.

“Aleppo governor says last SDF fighters have left the city after the Syrian army took control of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood”

Al Jazeera

State media and local officials reported buses carrying surrendered SDF members heading northeast, and Aleppo's governor said fighters left, while the SDF initially denied a withdrawal and described some transfers as forced displacement.

Al Jazeera

Multiple outlets reported the evacuated fighters and civilians were being moved to northern and eastern Syria, with some reports specifying Raqqa as the destination for SDF fighters.

Estimates of casualties and displacement vary across reports.

France 24 and The Sun Malaysia cited at least 21 civilians killed and officials saying about 155,000 people fled their homes.

BBC

Al Jazeera and Tribune India reported higher tolls, saying at least 30 people were killed and more than 150,000 displaced.

Kurdistan24 offered a different figure - at least 23 civilians dead and nearly 100 wounded - and additionally reported severe damage to medical services in the neighbourhoods.

The BBC gave a lower immediate toll (at least 12 people were killed) and spoke of tens of thousands fleeing, underscoring that counts changed as reporting continued.

Observers and commentators place the flare-up in the context of stalled talks over integrating the SDF into the Syrian state and longer-standing political disputes.

“Daijiworld Media Network - Damascus Damascus, Jan 11:The last remaining fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have withdrawn from Aleppo following a ceasefire agreement, city governor Azzam al-Gharib said on Sunday, bringing an end to days of deadly clashes”

Daijiworld

Several outlets link the fighting to collapsed negotiations, noting the clashes followed the breakdown of integration talks.

The Sun Malaysia and France 24 referenced a March framework and reported collapsed talks over Kurdish demands for decentralised rule.

International actors reportedly mediated the ceasefire and urged a resumption of talks, with the United States and the European Union calling for political dialogue and some reports crediting US involvement in brokering the deal.

Reports describe searches and separations on the ground and raise concerns about detainees and medical infrastructure.

Outlets reported Syrian government forces conducting searches in Sheikh Maqsoud for prisoners taken during the fall of the Assad regime.

France 24

Security officials and correspondents said dozens of young men were separated from evacuating families and taken to unknown locations or detention centres.

Kurdistan24 highlighted damage to medical services, saying Khalid Fajr Hospital was put out of service after strikes, and local health authorities condemned the action as a war crime.

The SDF warned mediators to ensure commitments were honoured amid these reports.

Analysts and reports point to broader implications: the SDF's withdrawal and the government's takeover of neighbourhoods complicate the already fraught prospects for integrating Kurdish forces into Damascus's structures and may reshape control in parts of Aleppo.

“SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said a ceasefire has been reached to evacuate fighters and civilians from Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh after days of fighting, under an internationally mediated agreement”

kurdistan24.net

Several outlets note that the SDF controls large swathes of north-east Syria and that follow-up integration negotiations remain unrealised.

kurdistan24.net

International actors called for renewed political talks to prevent further escalation, but West Asian outlets and Kurdish-focused sources conveyed stronger language about humanitarian harm and regional tensions than some Western mainstream reports, reflecting differing emphases and tones across source types.