Syrian army claims control of Aleppo’s last Kurdish-held area after ceasefire collapses – Firstpost

The Syrian army reported on Saturday it had combed Aleppo city’s Sheikh Maksoud district, signalling it had taken control of the area from Kurdish fighters after a temporary ceasefire failed to end days of deadly clashes.

The violence in Syria’s second-largest city has deepened one of the country’s key fault lines, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s pledge to reunify Syria under a single leadership after 14 years of war faces resistance from Kurdish forces wary of his Islamist-led government.

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The US and other world powers had welcomed a ceasefire earlier in the week, but Kurdish fighters refused to withdraw from their last stronghold in Sheikh Maksoud under the agreement. Late on Friday, the Syrian army noted it would launch a ground operation to expel them.

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Early on Saturday, the army declared it had completed combing operations in the district, though some Kurdish fighters were still believed to be in hiding. Kurdish forces, however, denied losing control of Sheikh Maksoud and reported they were continuing to resist. Reuters journalists in the city reported no sounds of fighting.

If confirmed, the army’s takeover of Sheikh Maksoud would end Kurdish control over pockets of Aleppo held since the conflict began in 2011. Kurdish forces continue to control large parts of northeastern Syria, where they administer a semi-autonomous region.

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They have resisted attempts to integrate into Syria’s latest government, formed by former rebel groups that ousted long-time leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. With talks on integration stalled, fighting broke out in Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least nine civilians and forcing more than 140,000 people to flee.

US envoy Tom Barrack stated in a post on X on Saturday that he had met Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi in Amman to work on consolidating the ceasefire and ensuring the “peaceful withdrawal from Aleppo” of Kurdish forces.

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