Kurdish Fighters Evacuated from Aleppo Amid Violent Clashes with Syrian Government Forces
In a move that could potentially bring an end to the recent violent clashes, Kurdish fighters have been evacuated from a contested neighborhood in Syria's northern city of Aleppo. The evacuation, facilitated through international mediation, has come after several days of intense fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and government forces.
According to SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, the agreement was reached through "international mediation" aimed at halting attacks and violations against civilians in Aleppo. As a result, the last of the fighters were transported out of Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and into northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The evacuation process was witnessed by Associated Press journalists, who reported that buses carrying 360 fighters left the area on Sunday. This comes after other buses carrying civilians and detained fighters departed on Saturday.
However, the situation remains volatile, with drone strikes reported in Aleppo and several casualties confirmed. Syrian security forces have been deployed in Sheikh Maqsoud since the clashes began, killing and wounding dozens of people. The SDF denied involvement in the attack on a civilian target.
The fighting between the two sides is one of the most intense since President Bashar Assad's regime fell in December 2024. At least 22 people were killed in five days of clashes, with over 140,000 displaced.
US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack held talks in Damascus with top officials, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and called for an immediate ceasefire and return to dialogue. He urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, citing the risk of external interference that serves no party's interests.
Barrack also expressed concerns over recent developments in Aleppo, stating Washington's objective remains a sovereign, unified Syria where equality, justice, and opportunity are extended to all its people.
The situation on the ground remains dire, with hundreds of people waiting at Sheikh Maqsoud's entrances for permission to re-enter once military operations cease. Clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh, and Bani Zaid after the government and SDF failed to merge their forces into the national army.
Each side has accused the other of starting the violence, with allegations of civilian buildings being used as fronts during the fighting. The Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria called on the international community to intervene to force government forces to stop shelling.
As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: the fate of Aleppo hangs in the balance, and the world watches with bated breath as the conflict rages on.
In a move that could potentially bring an end to the recent violent clashes, Kurdish fighters have been evacuated from a contested neighborhood in Syria's northern city of Aleppo. The evacuation, facilitated through international mediation, has come after several days of intense fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and government forces.
According to SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, the agreement was reached through "international mediation" aimed at halting attacks and violations against civilians in Aleppo. As a result, the last of the fighters were transported out of Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and into northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The evacuation process was witnessed by Associated Press journalists, who reported that buses carrying 360 fighters left the area on Sunday. This comes after other buses carrying civilians and detained fighters departed on Saturday.
However, the situation remains volatile, with drone strikes reported in Aleppo and several casualties confirmed. Syrian security forces have been deployed in Sheikh Maqsoud since the clashes began, killing and wounding dozens of people. The SDF denied involvement in the attack on a civilian target.
The fighting between the two sides is one of the most intense since President Bashar Assad's regime fell in December 2024. At least 22 people were killed in five days of clashes, with over 140,000 displaced.
US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack held talks in Damascus with top officials, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and called for an immediate ceasefire and return to dialogue. He urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, citing the risk of external interference that serves no party's interests.
Barrack also expressed concerns over recent developments in Aleppo, stating Washington's objective remains a sovereign, unified Syria where equality, justice, and opportunity are extended to all its people.
The situation on the ground remains dire, with hundreds of people waiting at Sheikh Maqsoud's entrances for permission to re-enter once military operations cease. Clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh, and Bani Zaid after the government and SDF failed to merge their forces into the national army.
Each side has accused the other of starting the violence, with allegations of civilian buildings being used as fronts during the fighting. The Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria called on the international community to intervene to force government forces to stop shelling.
As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: the fate of Aleppo hangs in the balance, and the world watches with bated breath as the conflict rages on.
this is crazy! 140k ppl displaced & still hundreds waiting to get out... what's going on with these government forces? 
they just keep shelling like that's their job or something. and now everyone's accusing each other of starting the violence... can't we all just talk it out like civilized people?! 
it's like, Aleppo is literally in a war zone right now & I'm glued to my screen wondering what happens next 
. I mean, I get that there needs to be some sort of resolution, but what about all these innocent people caught in the middle? 
They just wanna live their lives without all this violence & chaos 
. We need to keep pushing for peace talks, not more escalations 
...
. It feels like we're watching a super intense soap opera on TV and no one knows who's gonna get hurt next 
. I don't think anyone cares about Aleppo except for maybe the ones directly affected, but even then, it's like "oh poor them" instead of "what can we do to actually help?" 
.
they're just trying to live their lives but theres so much violence and bloodshed goin on it's heartbreaking to see ppl bein caught in the middle of all this 
the usa is tryna help by sendin in some envoy tom barrack i hope he can get the parties talkin and find a way 2 stop the fighting already cuz 140k displaced people cant just stay stuck in one place forever 
22k people displaced in Aleppo since Jan 2025 
(Source: UNHCR)
. What's the plan for their safety? 
, but what about the civilians caught in the crossfire? 
.
. We've seen 7 years of bloody conflicts - what's the latest on ceasefire talks? 
any kinda ceasefire would be a huge relief. but seriously, how many times gotta we see this same drama? Aleppo's been through hell since 2012... 
international mediation is great and all, but what about the root causes of this conflict? 
Aleppo's been through hell n back, can't they just have some peace n stability 4 a sec? 
they're heading to northeastern syria where things might be a bit more stable. and yeah, the fighting is still intense, but at least now everyone's aware of how bad it's gotten. international mediation is a thing, and ppl are talking about a ceasefire... that's gotta count for something, right? 
plus, there's this guy tom barrack from washington who's all like "hey guys, let's talk about this" and he's calling for restraint. maybe, just maybe, we're on the cusp of some real progress here... 
. It's like they're being held hostage by all this fighting 
. The situation in Aleppo is dire and it needs some serious help ASAP 
. What if things don't calm down soon? And what about all those civilians caught in the middle? It feels like they're getting more and more forgotten