Kurdish fighters exit Aleppo in deal with Syrian government

Scores of US-backed Kurdish fighters withdrew April 4th from two key neighbourhoods in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, in a significant step toward implementing a recent agreement between the Kurdish-led authority and Syria’s interim government in Damascus.

As reported by Asharq Al-Awsat, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) vacated the predominantly Kurdish areas of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh, which they had held for the past decade.

The move marks a shift in control to Damascus and could pave the way for further integration of Kurdish forces into the Syrian army.

The withdrawal of the Kurdish fighters from Aleppo was followed a prisoner exchange in Aleppo on April 3rd, reflecting growing cooperation between the two sides.

Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that government forces were deployed along the route used by SDF fighters heading east of the Euphrates River, where Kurdish-led force still controls large swathes of territory.

The development builds on a landmark agreement signed last month, which promises Syria’s Kurds “constitutional rights”, language rights, and the return of citizenship to thousands who had been stripped of it under decades of Assad family rule.

The deal also allows for the return of displaced Kurdish families and increased local autonomy, though Kurdish leaders stress they are seeking decentralisation—not full independence.

The neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh had remained under SDF control even after forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad retook Aleppo in 2016.

The recent handover comes months after interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces captured both Aleppo and Damascus, ending Assad’s rule.

Kurdish leaders, whose population accounted for around 10% of Syria’s prewar 23 million, see the agreement as a chance to secure long-denied rights while maintaining Syria’s territorial unity.

Asharq Al-Awsat. Maghrebi