Syrian government forces regained full control of the city of Aleppo on Sunday after days of intense fighting, following their entry into two predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods and the evacuation of Kurdish fighters toward areas under autonomous administration.
Residents began returning on Sunday to Ashrafieh, one of the Kurdish districts that witnessed heavy clashes. According to an AFP correspondent, some residents rushed back carrying belongings to assess damage to their homes, while shattered glass and shrapnel scars were visible across the streets.
The fighting erupted on Tuesday in the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, with both the Syrian army and Kurdish forces exchanging accusations over who initiated the clashes. Syrian authorities said the violence displaced around 155,000 people.
Early Sunday, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that buses carrying the final group of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters had left Sheikh Maqsoud toward northeastern Syria. The SDF later confirmed the withdrawal of its fighters from the area.
According to a Syrian Interior Ministry official cited by AFP, approximately 360 Kurdish fighters and 59 wounded individuals were evacuated from Sheikh Maqsoud, while more than 300 Kurds were arrested, including fighters and members of Kurdish internal security forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights disputed this account, stating that those detained were civilians rather than combatants.
The withdrawal came shortly after the U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, called on Saturday for restraint and urged both the Syrian government and Kurdish authorities to resume dialogue following talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Follow the latest news on Google News
