Trending:Iran protestsMinneapolis Ice shootingGreenlandUS-Venezuela tensionsBeckham family fuedBangladesh T20 World Cup rowKurdish fighters agree to withdraw from Aleppo under ceasefire after clashesFP News Desk • January 11, 2026, 10:28:04 ISTWhatsapp Facebook TwitterKurdish fighters in Aleppo agreed to withdraw under a ceasefire after days of clashes with Syrian government forces, following the collapse of talks on integrating Kurdish authorities into the new administration. AdvertisementSubscribe Join Us+ Follow us On GoogleChoose Firstpost on GoogleResidents react as a bus carrying men who state media reported to be Kurdish fighters prepares to leave Aleppo's Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood accompanied by security forces on January 10, 2026. Kurdish fighters in Syria said on Sunday they had agreed to withdraw from the city of Aleppo under a ceasefire, following several days of clashes with government forces that erupted after talks on integrating Kurdish authorities into the new administration broke down. Earlier, Syria’s military announced it had concluded operations in the Kurdish-held Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood, while state television reported that Kurdish fighters who surrendered were being transported north by bus. The army had already declared it had taken control of Aleppo’s other Kurdish-held district, Ashrafiyeh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADKurdish control rooted in years of conflictKurdish forces have long held pockets of Aleppo and run a de facto autonomous administration across parts of northern and northeastern Syria, much of which was seized during the country’s 14-year civil war. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the ceasefire allowed for an organised withdrawal and humanitarian evacuation.“We reached an understanding that led to a ceasefire and secured the evacuation of the martyrs, the wounded, the trapped civilians and the fighters from Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhoods to northern and eastern Syria,” the SDF said in a statement. It added that the truce was achieved “through the mediation of international parties to stop the attacks and violations against our people in Aleppo”. More from World Syrian army claims control of Aleppo’s last Kurdish-held area after ceasefire collapses Syria declares ceasefire in Aleppo after three days of clashes with Kurdish forcesConflicting accounts over bus transfersSyria’s official SANA news agency reported that “buses carrying the last batch of members of the SDF organisation have left the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood in Aleppo, heading towards northeastern Syria”. The SDF initially denied that its fighters were leaving, describing the bus movements as forced displacement of civilians. An AFP correspondent saw at least five buses on Saturday carrying men out of Sheikh Maqsud, but could not independently verify their identities. International calls for dialogueThe United States and the European Union urged both the Syrian government and Kurdish authorities to return to political dialogue amid the violence. The clashes, among the most intense since the ousting of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, have killed at least 21 civilians, according to figures from both sides.
