400 Kurdish Fighters Withdraw from Aleppo, Syria

On January 11 (local time), Syrian government forces secured military superiority over the Kurdish armed group Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northwestern city of Aleppo.

According to Syrian state-run SANA news agency, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that military operations in the area had entered their final stage, just five days after declaring Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo as military zones.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior explained that a significant number of SDF fighters had deserted or surrendered to government forces, while the remaining fighters had retreated east of the Euphrates River, outside government-controlled areas.

AFP reported, citing a source from the Syrian Ministry of Interior, that more than 360 Kurdish fighters and 59 wounded had withdrawn to the Kurdish autonomous region. The source also said that 300 Kurds, including some affiliated with government forces, had been detained.

In December 2024, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the Bashar al-Assad dictatorship and established an interim government. In March of the following year, the SDF agreed to join government forces but postponed implementation, instead demanding autonomous decentralization and clashing with the interim government.