On January 9, a ceasefire was in effect from 3 am. to 9 am. in order to allow for the safe evacuation of the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) fighters who were embedded in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and industrial capital.
The Ministry of Defense declared a ceasefire "out of concern for civilian safety and to prevent further military escalation within residential neighborhoods." According to the statement, the ceasefire granted Kurdish fighters a deadline to withdraw from the neighborhoods until 9:00 a.m. Fighters were permitted to carry only light personal weapons, with assurances of safe passage and escorted transfer to northeastern Syria.
The ceasefire was later extended to facilitate the implementation of an agreement brokered under international, Arab, and regional sponsorship.
However, the rows of waiting buses drove away in the afternoon empty, after the SDF fighters refused to leave, and signaled their intentions to remain in Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to continue their fight against the Syrian government who are attempting to consolidate security forces in coordination with the US brokered March agreement signed in Damascus.
The Syrian state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV reported that buses had arrived to transport SDF fighters from Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud to northeastern Syria. The Aleppo Media Directorate confirmed that government institutions are preparing to enter the neighborhoods to restore services, while response committees are coordinating civilian returns after security operations, mine clearance, and road reopening are completed.
On Friday, local authorities in Aleppo announced that Kurdish fighters besieged in the city would be transferred within hours to areas under Kurdish self-administration in northeastern Syria. The Aleppo Governorate's Media Directorate stated that "elements of the SDF will be transferred with light individual weapons to east of the Euphrates," following a ceasefire declared by the Syrian Ministry of Defense after days of deadly clashes in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, which forced thousands of civilians to flee.
Aleppo has witnessed rapid military and humanitarian developments after factions affiliated with the transitional government announced full control over the Ashrafieh neighborhood, following three days of intense fighting with the SDF. The clashes involved direct confrontations and heavy artillery shelling that struck densely populated residential areas.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the deaths of 43 people since the escalation began, including 25 civilians-- among them seven women and five children-- and injuries to 98 civilians, most of them women and children.
Civilian fatalities were recorded with 19 civilians in Sheikh Maqsoud, and four civilians in the Midan neighborhood, and two medical staff members killed at Othman Hospital in Ashrafieh.
Heavy weapons, including rockets and artillery, were used during the fighting, alongside reinforcements involving tanks and armored vehicles. The clashes caused widespread destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure and brought civilian life in the affected areas to a near standstill.
Humanitarian conditions deteriorated sharply after the Shahid Khaled Fajr Hospital in Sheikh Maqsoud was shelled for the fourth time, knocking out electricity and forcing it out of service, despite being the only remaining facility providing emergency care to residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. Othman Hospital in Ashrafieh was also directly targeted, exacerbating the health crisis and raising fears of a complete collapse in medical response capacity.
Local reports indicate that tens of thousands of civilians were displaced from the affected neighborhoods. Temporary humanitarian corridors were opened for evacuations, amid accusations that SDF forces prevented some civilians from leaving areas under their control during the early hours of the escalation.
The Syrian government held the SDF responsible for the recent escalation, asserting that the violation of an agreement signed on April 1 directly triggered the unrest. It demanded the removal of armed presence from certain Aleppo neighborhoods, emphasizing that securing Aleppo's surroundings, protecting civilians, and preventing disruptions to the political process remain top priorities.
Internationally, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack welcomed the temporary ceasefire in Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud, expressing hope that it would lead to sustained calm and deeper dialogue. He said the truce "launches vital work to guide Syria's diverse paths toward a shared road of security, inclusiveness, and lasting peace," adding that Washington is working to extend the ceasefire beyond Friday morning.
US President Donald Trump has met with President al-Sharaa twice, once in Saudi Arabia and the second time in the Oval Office. Trump is supporting Syria in its return to the international community following the ouster of the dictator Assad.
The SDF were supported by the US military who partnered with them in the fight against and defeat of ISIS. However, the SDF had agreed to merge forces with the Syrian military under a US supported agreement, which was due to be completed by end of 2025.
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