Kurdish groups reject Aleppo withdrawal as US pushes to end fighting

Kurdish groups in Aleppo vowed to defend their neighbourhoods on Friday (9 January) from government forces, rejecting ceasefire terms declared by Damascus that demand Kurdish fighters withdraw from the Syrian city where clashes have raged this week.

The violence in Aleppo has exposed one of the main faultlines in Syria as the country tries to rebuild after a devastating war, with Kurdish forces resisting efforts by President Ahmed al-Sharaa's Islamist-led government to bring their fighters under centralised authority.

At least nine civilians have been killed and more than 140,000 have fled their homes, where Kurdish forces are trying to cling on to several neighbourhoods they have controlled since the early days of the war, which began in 2011.

Neither the government nor the Kurdish forces have announced a toll of casualties among their fighters.

The ceasefire announced by the defence ministry overnight demanded the withdrawal of Kurdish forces to the Kurdish-held northeast. That would effectively end Kurdish control over the pockets of Aleppo that Kurdish forces have held.

But in a statement, Kurdish councils that run the Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafiyah districts of Aleppo said calls to leave were "a call to surrender" and that Kurdish forces would instead "defend their neighbourhoods", accusing government forces of intensive shelling.

US hoping for calm

The ceasefire said Kurdish forces should withdraw by 9am (0600 GMT) on Friday, but no one withdrew overnight, according to Syrian security sources.

Tom Barrack, the US envoy for Syria, had earlier welcomed what he called a "temporary ceasefire" and said Washington was working intensively to extend it beyond the 9am deadline. "We are hopeful this weekend will bring a more enduring calm and deeper dialogue," he wrote on X.

Washington has been closely involved in efforts to promote integration between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - which has enjoyed US military support for more than a decade - and the Damascus government, with which the United States has developed close ties under President Donald Trump.

However, little has been achieved since the sides signed a framework agreement in March, 2025, which had called for the process to be completed by the end of last year.

A Reuters reporter in Aleppo saw more than a dozen empty buses entering Sheikh Maksoud on Friday morning. Government security sources said they were expected to carry Kurdish fighters towards eastern parts of Syria held by Kurdish forces. Syrian state TV later reported the buses had withdrawn without transporting anyone.

Neighbouring Turkey views the SDF as a terrorist organisation linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and has warned of military action if the group does not honour the integration agreement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking on Wednesday, expressed hope that the situation in Aleppo would be normalised "through the withdrawal of SDF elements". Fidan discussed the situation in Aleppo with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani on Friday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

Syrian minister says 'the Kurds are our people'

Though Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who belongs to the Sunni Muslim majority, has repeatedly vowed to protect minorities, bouts of violence in which government-aligned fighters have killed hundreds of Alawites and Druze have spread alarm in minority communities over the last year.

The statement issued by the Kurdish councils in Aleppo said the Damascus government could not be trusted "with our security and our neighbourhoods", and that attacks on the areas aimed to bring about forced displacement.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said security measures taken in Aleppo "were a response to a deadlock that some forces sought to prolong outside the framework of the state" - an apparent reference to Kurdish fighters.

The aim was to "restore order and protect public stability", he wrote on X, adding that "the Kurds are our people and our partners in the future".

The Kurdish-led authorities aim to maintain regional autonomy within the new Syria, and have criticised the new government for what they have described as its attempts to centralise power once again in Damascus.