Last Kurdish forces withdraw from Aleppo following ceasefire deal

Kurdish-led forces completed their withdrawal from Aleppo early Sunday morning following a ceasefire agreement brokered by international mediators.

Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the deal ensured safe passage for fighters, the wounded, and trapped civilians. Local media reported seeing the final buses carrying SDF members depart from the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.

The withdrawal follows a week of clashes that erupted after negotiations to integrate Kurdish forces into the new Syrian government reached a stalemate. At least 12 people were killed in the violence, and tens of thousands of civilians were forced to flee Sheikh Maqsoud and the neighboring Ashrafieh district.

The Syrian military previously designated the area a "closed military zone" and launched shelling operations, citing alleged attacks by armed groups.

The SDF, which had earlier denied having a military presence in Aleppo, characterized the offensive as a "criminal plot" designed to forcibly displace the local population.

The withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from the Sheikh Maqsoud district marks more than a tactical retreat; it signifies the end of organized Kurdish influence in Aleppo, Syria’s most strategic urban center. The move represents a definitive victory for the Syrian government, allowing Damascus to consolidate total control over the city for the first time in years.

The collapse of the Kurdish presence is rooted in the failure of political negotiations intended to integrate the SDF into a national administrative and military framework. The deadlock highlights the intractable nature of Syrian national reconciliation, particularly regarding the sensitive issues of Kurdish autonomy and their long-term political status.

That the withdrawal was brokered by an undisclosed "international mediator" underscores the degree to which foreign powers continue to dictate terms on the ground. It serves as a reminder that the Syrian conflict remains a high-stakes geopolitical chessboard, where local maneuvers are frequently choreographed by external actors.

For the SDF, the loss of its final foothold in Aleppo is a significant blow to its political leverage in northern Syria. The decision to abandon the enclave likely stems from a binary choice: succumb to mounting military pressure or execute a strategic pivot to preserve combat power for its core territories in the northeast.

Ultimately, this sequence of failed diplomacy, renewed hostilities, and coerced settlements suggests that a durable political resolution to the Syrian crisis remains an elusive prospect.

This event has no direct impact on the Vietnamese community in the United States.