A ceasefire has been declared in parts of Aleppo following days of heavy fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria’s defence ministry says the unilateral truce took effect early Friday at three a.m. local time in the Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid districts. Under the agreement, SDF-affiliated fighters are to withdraw carrying only light personal weapons, while the Syrian army has pledged safe passage towards the northeast.
State media reports that security forces have begun deploying in parts of Ashrafieh following initial withdrawals. The clashes began on January sixth and escalated over three days, involving artillery fire, shelling and ground assaults. It was the worst violence seen in Aleppo since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December twenty-twenty-four.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports at least five civilians killed, including two women and one child, and 27 injuries from clashes in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and nearby areas as of 7 January 2026. The agency estimates around 30,000 people displaced, with over 2,000 families relocating to Afrin district and about 1,100 sheltering in nine collective centers inside Aleppo, amid humanitarian corridors and halted hospital operations.
The fighting is linked to delays in implementing a March twenty-twenty-five agreement to integrate the US-backed SDF into state institutions, underscoring ongoing disputes over Kurdish autonomy. The United States has expressed grave concern and urged all sides to de-escalate, as humanitarian needs continue to rise and the risk of renewed conflict remains.
