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The Syrian service has combed done Aleppo city's Sheikh Maksoud district, it said connected Saturday (January 10, 2026), signalling it had seized the country from Kurdish fighters by unit aft a impermanent ceasefire failed to extremity to days of deadly fighting.
The violence successful the 2nd metropolis has deepened 1 of the main responsibility lines successful Syria, wherever President Ahmed al-Sharaa's committedness to unify the state nether 1 enactment aft 14 years of warfare has faced absorption from Kurdish forces wary of his Islamist-led government.
The U.S. and different satellite powers welcomed a ceasefire earlier successful the week, but Kurdish forces refused to permission the past stronghold of Sheikh Maksoud nether the deal. Syria's service said precocious connected Friday (January 9, 2026), it would behaviour a ground cognition to expel them.
Kurdish forces accidental they are resisting
Early connected Saturday (January 10, 2026), Syria's service said, “It had finished combing done the district, but that immoderate Kurdish fighters were inactive successful hiding.” In a written statement, Kurdish forces denied the authorities had captured Sheikh Maksoud and said they were inactive resisting. Reuters reporters successful the metropolis did not perceive the dependable of clashes.
The takeover of Sheikh Maksoud by the service would extremity Kurdish power implicit pockets of Aleppo held by Kurdish forces since Syria's warfare erupted successful 2011. Kurdish forces inactive clasp ample parts of Syria's northeast, wherever they tally a semi-autonomous zone.
They person resisted efforts to integrate into Syria's caller government, made up of erstwhile rebel fighters who ousted long-time person Bashar al-Assad successful December 2024. With negotiations connected their merger stalled, warring erupted successful Aleppo connected Tuesday (January 6, 2026), leaving astatine slightest 9 civilians dormant and forcing much than 140,000 to flee.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said successful a connection connected X (formerly, Twitter) posted connected Saturday (January 10, 2026) that helium had met with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi successful Amman to consolidate a ceasefire and guarantee the Kurdish forces' "peaceful withdrawal from Aleppo."
