Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units have fully withdrawn from Aleppo after several days of intense fighting, officials confirmed, following a ceasefire arrangement that paved the way for evacuations.
On Sunday, Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib said the city is now “empty of SDF fighters,” noting that government forces facilitated their departure overnight by transporting them out of Aleppo on buses, reports Al Jazeera.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said the withdrawal followed an agreement brokered through international mediation, which ensured a ceasefire and the safe evacuation of both civilians and fighters.
“We have reached an understanding that leads to a ceasefire and securing the evacuation of the dead, the wounded, the stranded civilians and the fighters from the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods to northern and eastern Syria,” he wrote in a post on X.
“We call on the mediators to adhere to their promises to stop the violations and work towards a safe return for the displaced to their homes,” he added.
The development came after the Syrian army took over the Kurdish-majority neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud after days of clashes that broke out when talks to integrate the SDF into the national army collapsed.
