Syrian army says stopping operations in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsud: state media
ALEPPO
A group of Kurdish fighters gather as they mobilize in response to a general call to arms in support of the PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during clashes with Syrian government forces in the town of Aleppo, in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hogir Al Abdo)
The Syrian army said on Saturday that it was stopping military operations in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood, where it has clashed for days with PKK/YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), state media reported.
In a statement to the official SANA news agency, the military announced "a halt to all military operations in the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood of Aleppo, starting at 3:00pm (1200 GMT)", adding that Kurdish forces would be "transferred" to the Kurdish-controlled city of Tabaqa in northeastern Syria.
The Syrian army said Saturday that it had completed a "security sweep" of a neighbourhood in Aleppo where its forces have clashed with SDF.
"We announce the completion of a full security sweep of the Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood in Aleppo," the army said in a statement carried by state media, while warning residents to stay in their homes. AFP correspondents in Aleppo said shelling could still be heard after the announcement.
Syria's army also urged SDF to surrender themselves and their weapons.
Government forces began striking the Sheikh Maqsud district overnight after the Kurdish fighters defied a deadline to withdraw during a temporary ceasefire.
A military source told the official SANA news agency that the combing operation in Sheikh Maqsud was "more than 90 percent" complete, and that "a number of SDF members" had been arrested.
In a statement posted by the Defense Ministry, Syria's army said "the only remaining option for the armed elements in the Sheikh Maqsud area of Aleppo is to surrender themselves and their weapons immediately".
The violence in Syria's second city erupted after efforts to integrate the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration and military into the country's new government stalled.
Since the start of the fighting on Tuesday, at least 21 civilians have been killed, according to figures from both sides, and tens of thousands have fled Aleppo.
The clashes, some of the most intense since Syria's new authorities took power, present yet another challenge as the country struggles to reunify after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Early Friday, Syrian authorities announced a six-hour window for the SDF fighters to leave, but they instead refused to "surrender" and vowed to defend their districts.
In response, Syria's army warned it would renew strikes on military targets in Sheikh Maqsud and urged civilians to get out ahead of the district's takeover by security forces.
The army said three soldiers had been killed by SDF, while state television accused them of launching drones on residential areas of Aleppo.
A flight suspension at Aleppo airport was extended until late Saturday.
The SDF controls swathes of Syria's oil-rich north and northeast.
Ankara views its main component as an extension of the terrorist PKK, which agreed last year to end its four-decade armed struggle against Türkiye.
US pressure?
The March integration agreement was meant to be implemented last year, but differences, including SDF demands for decentralized rule, have stymied progress.
A diplomatic source told AFP that US envoy Tom Barrack was headed to Damascus.
Türkiye, which shares a 900-kilometre (550-mile) border with Syria, has launched successive offensives to push SDF from the frontier.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed the situation in a call with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and said he was determined to "end the illegal armed presence" in the city, a Syrian presidency statement said.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric expressed alarm over the impact of the fighting on civilians and called on all parties "to swiftly return to negotiations to ensure the full implementation of the 10 March agreement".