BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Syria’s Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire early Friday following three days of intense clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, fighting that triggered one of the largest waves of displacement the city has seen in years.
The ministry said the ceasefire took effect at 3 a.m. in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, areas that had become flashpoints during the latest round of violence. Under the terms announced by Damascus, armed groups were given six hours to withdraw from the neighborhoods, with assurances that departing fighters would be allowed to carry their personal light weapons and would be escorted to northeastern Syria, an area controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
There was no immediate public response from the SDF leadership, and a local Kurdish council representing Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh rejected calls for fighters to leave. In a statement, the council said residents and local forces would not submit to pressure or surrender their neighborhoods, citing deep mistrust of the central government’s ability or willingness to guarantee their security.
Despite the official announcement, there were no visible signs of a withdrawal in the hours that followed. Buses positioned to evacuate fighters remained empty well after the deadline passed. Shortly after dawn, bursts of machine-gun fire were heard near the road used by the buses, and at least one artillery shell struck nearby. The exchange was brief, and relative calm soon returned, though the situation remained tense.
Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib toured the contested districts overnight under heavy security, signaling the government’s determination to assert control and present the ceasefire as a step toward restoring order.
The fighting, which erupted earlier in the week, has displaced an estimated 142,000 people, forcing families to flee under shelling and drone strikes. Many sought refuge in other parts of Aleppo or in nearby rural areas, overwhelming local shelters and aid networks already strained by years of conflict.
Both sides have accused each other of igniting the clashes and of deliberately targeting civilian areas and infrastructure. Kurdish forces reported that at least 12 civilians were killed in predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods, while government officials said at least nine civilians died in surrounding government-held districts. Dozens more were wounded on both sides, though the number of fighters killed has not been disclosed.
Residents trapped in the affected neighborhoods expressed cautious hope that the ceasefire might hold. Ahmed Hajjar, a tailor in Achrafieh, said the announcement offered some relief but warned that daily life remained paralyzed by military restrictions.
“I can’t work now,” he said. “The workers can’t come, and I can’t send products outside. Even bringing in textiles means waiting at checkpoints for hours. If the ceasefire is serious, those checkpoints need to go.”
International reaction was swift. Tom Barrack, the U.S. envoy to Syria, welcomed the ceasefire and praised what he described as restraint and goodwill from all parties involved, including the Syrian government, the SDF, local authorities and community leaders. In a statement posted on social media, he said Washington was working to extend the ceasefire beyond the initial six-hour window in hopes of preventing a return to violence.
The clashes come against the backdrop of stalled political negotiations between Damascus and the SDF. Last March, the interim government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed an agreement with the SDF aimed at integrating its forces into the Syrian army by the end of 2025. Progress on the deal has been slow, with disagreements over command structures, security arrangements and the future status of Kurdish-held territories.
Complicating matters further, several factions within Syria’s reconstituted army — formed after the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December 2024 — include groups that were previously backed by Turkey and have a long history of hostility toward Kurdish forces.
The SDF has been a key partner of the United States in the campaign against the Islamic State group, but Turkey considers it a terrorist organization because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. A fragile peace process involving the PKK is now underway, adding another layer of complexity to the regional dynamics.
Despite years of U.S. support for the SDF, Washington has also cultivated close ties with al-Sharaa’s government and has pressed Kurdish leaders to move forward with the integration agreement.
On Friday, al-Sharaa held a phone call with Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in neighboring Iraq. The KDP, which maintains close relations with Turkey and has historically been at odds with the SDF and other PKK-aligned groups, has in recent months taken steps to mend ties, reflecting shifting alliances across the region.
Whether the Aleppo ceasefire marks a turning point or merely a pause in a deeper conflict remained uncertain as residents waited to see if calm would endure beyond the first fragile hours.
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