Fighting over Kurdish neighborhood integration leaves 23 dead, displaces thousands; fragile calm holds as mine clearance begins.
ALEPPO, Syria – First responders entered the shattered Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday under a fragile ceasefire, following days of intense fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led fighters that killed at least 23 people and displaced more than 140,000 residents.
The clashes—the most severe since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024—erupted last Tuesday after negotiations collapsed over integrating the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the national army. Government troops captured the Achrafieh and Bani Zaid districts, while Kurdish fighters withdrew from Sheikh Maqsoud to northeastern Syria under SDF control.
A statement from the SDF described the current pause as a “partial ceasefire” to allow evacuation of wounded and civilians, but warned fighting would resume. The neighborhood remained tense but quiet on Sunday as Syrian Civil Defense teams worked to disarm improvised mines allegedly left by withdrawing Kurdish forces.
“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” resident Ahmad Shaikho told The Associated Press amid scenes of charred vehicles and heavily damaged buildings.
The humanitarian situation is dire. The United Nations is organizing convoys to deliver food, fuel, and blankets, while the Syrian Red Crescent is operating in the area. The Khalid Al-Fajer Hospital, which the SDF says was targeted “dozens of times” by government forces, now stands damaged and empty after patient evacuations. Damascus accuses the SDF of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
The integration of the SDF—which played a key role in combating the Daesh group in eastern Syria—into the national army has been complicated by the inclusion of formerly Turkish-backed rebel factions with histories of conflict against Kurdish groups.
Displaced residents, prevented from returning until mines are cleared, voiced anguish and frustration. “I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri, echoing traumas from Syria’s long civil war.
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