The last fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) left the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, state television reported, after reaching a ceasefire agreement that allowed for evacuations after days of deadly fighting.
Their departure marks the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from parts of Aleppo that they have held since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, while Kurdish forces continue to govern a semi-autonomous zone in large parts of northeastern Syria.
Today's photos from Aleppo:
SDF commander Mazlum Abdi announced in a post on the X network that, with international mediation, an understanding has been reached on a ceasefire and the safe evacuation of civilians and fighters from the Aleppo settlements of Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud to northern and eastern Syria.
The violence in Aleppo has deepened one of the main dividing lines in Syria, where President Ahmed al-Shara's pledge to unify the country under a single leadership after 14 years of war is facing resistance from Kurdish forces, who are wary of his Islamist-led government.
The United States and other world powers welcomed the ceasefire earlier this week, but Kurdish forces have refused to abandon their last stronghold in Sheikh Maqsoud as agreed. The Syrian army said it would launch a ground operation to remove them and was searching the area on Saturday.
Reuters reporters then saw dozens of men, women and children leaving the settlement on foot. Syrian soldiers were putting them on buses and telling them they would be taken to reception centers for the displaced. More than 140.000 people have already been displaced by the fighting this week.
Reuters journalists later saw security forces loading more than 100 men in civilian clothes onto buses.
Syrian security officials on the scene identified them as members of the Kurdish internal security forces, known as the Asayish, and said they had surrendered. The Asayish later denied that any of those who left Aleppo were fighters, claiming that they were all civilians who had been forcibly displaced.
Allegations of breach of contract
US envoy Tom Barak said on Saturday he had met with Sharr in Damascus and urged all sides to "show maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities and return to dialogue." He said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team was ready to mediate.
Barak had previously said that a consolidated ceasefire would include "a peaceful withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from Aleppo," referring to the main Kurdish force, according to Reuters.
Three Syrian security sources told Reuters that a group of Kurdish fighters, including some commanders and their families, were secretly transferred from Aleppo overnight to the northeast of the country.
Ilham Ahmad, who heads the Kurdish administration's foreign relations sector, welcomed the agreement on the "safe redeployment of fighters from Sheikh Maqsoud" to eastern Syria overnight from Friday to Saturday.
Turkish security sources have hinted at a possible split within the Kurdish factions, saying Ankara has reached out to some senior Kurdish officials and noted a willingness to compromise, specifically mentioning Ahmad and Abdi. However, the sources say other fighters have decided to stay and fight.
Kurdish fighters who had previously barricaded themselves in a hospital in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud district withdrew today in accordance with an evacuation agreement, leaving their weapons behind, state-run Ekhbariya television reported.
The SDF previously said it had been waging street battles against government forces, accusing them of indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, including a hospital where civilians were taking shelter.
They also said the attacks were supported by Turkish drones. A Turkish security source denied their use, saying the operation was "mostly complete and there was no need" for Turkish support.
The Syrian army denied carrying out indiscriminate attacks and accused the SDF of using a drone to attack Aleppo city hall. The SDF rejected these claims.
The SDF has resisted attempts to integrate into the new Syrian government, made up of former rebels who toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. As talks over their inclusion stalled, fighting erupted in Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least nine civilians.
The clashes represent the latest wave of sectarian violence in Syria. In 2025, more than 1.000 members of the Alawite minority were killed by government-affiliated forces, while hundreds of members of the Druze minority were killed in the southern province of Suwayda, including in summary executions.
The fighting in Aleppo has led to the closure of a key highway to Turkey and factories in the city's industrial zone. Syria's General Directorate of Civil Aviation said on Saturday that Aleppo International Airport would remain closed until further notice.
Bonus video:
