Kurdish fighters evacuated from contested Aleppo neighborhood after talks

Kurdish fighters evacuated as ceasefire talks circulate

Kurdish fighters were evacuated from a contested neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria, officials said early Sunday, after days of clashes with government forces.

State-run news agency SANA reported that buses transported the last of the fighters from the Aleppo neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud to northeastern Syria, where it said the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have control.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said the SDF reached an understanding, adding that international mediation would lead to a ceasefire and safe evacuation. “Through international mediation to halt the attacks and violations against our people in Aleppo, we have reached an understanding leading to a ceasefire and the safe evacuation of martyrs, the wounded, trapped civilians, and fighters from the Achrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods to northern and eastern Syria,” Abdi said in a post on X. He also called for “mediators to uphold their promises to stop the violations and work towards the safe return of the displaced to their homes.”

An Associated Press journalist at the scene saw buses leaving Sunday and was told by officials that the transports carried 360 fighters. Other buses carrying civilians and detained fighters departed on Saturday.

Clashes marked by drones and aviation stoppage

Syrian security forces deployed Saturday in Sheikh Maqsoud after days of fighting with Kurdish fighters that killed and wounded dozens, according to the report. During the day, several drone strikes were reported in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, prompting authorities to stop civilian flights at Aleppo International Airport until further notice, state TV said.

On Saturday afternoon, an explosive drone hit the Aleppo Governorate building shortly after two Cabinet ministers and a local official held a news conference on developments in the city, the report said. The report said there was no immediate word on casualties. State TV aired footage of a drone exploding as it hit the building and blamed Kurdish fighters for the attack, while the SDF denied the report, saying its fighters did not attack a civilian target.

The fighting between the two sides was described as the most intense since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December 2024. The report said at least 22 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced.

U.S. envoy calls for restraint and return to dialogue

U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack held talks in Damascus Saturday with top officials, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and called on all parties to cease hostilities and return to dialogue. In comments posted on X, Barrack said: “Violence risks undermining the progress achieved since the fall of the Assad regime and invites external interference that serves no party’s interests.”

He urged all parties to “exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue,” adding that the fighting undermines the deal reached in March between the government and the Kurdish leadership. Barrack said the developments in Aleppo were “deeply concerning” and that Washington’s objective “remains a sovereign, unified Syria — at peace with itself and its neighbors — where equality, justice, and opportunity are extended to all its people.”

Residents waiting to re-enter Sheikh Maqsoud

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that two Kurdish fighters blew themselves up while surrounded by security forces, without inflicting casualties, while gunfire was still heard in the neighborhood around noon Saturday. It said security forces swept the neighborhood after calling on residents to stay home for their own safety.

The report said hundreds of people who fled the neighborhood earlier were waiting at Sheikh Maqsoud’s entrances for access once military operations end.

The fighting began Tuesday in Sheikh Maqsoud and other predominantly Kurdish areas, including Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces failed to make progress on how to merge their forces into the national army. The report said security forces have since captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

Kurdish forces said at least 12 civilians were killed in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in the five days of fighting, while government officials reported at least 10 civilians were killed in surrounding government-controlled areas.

Competing claims over civilian targets and hospital access

The report said Syria’s Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa told state TV that Kurdish fighters used civilian buildings including hospitals and clinics during the fighting, while each side accused the other of starting the violence and targeting civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure, including ambulance crews and hospitals.

The Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which controls much of Syria’s northeast, said security forces targeted Khaled Fajr Hospital in Sheikh Maqsoud and said it put the lives of patients and paramedics in danger. It called on the international community to intervene to force government forces to stop shelling.

State TV reported at least one security member was wounded when a drone fired by the SDF struck the neighborhood. The report also said bursts of gunfire could be heard as government-deployed drones flew over Sheikh Maqsoud.

It said the Syrian military declared the neighborhood a “closed military zone” and launched a “clearing operation” starting Friday night.

Jordan’s support mentioned in separate U.S. talks

On Friday, Barrack discussed developments in Syria with Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman. The report said the U.S. envoy stated that Jordan offered support to efforts aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and the peaceful withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from Aleppo.