Displaced Syrians Return to Aleppo Neighborhoods After Deadly Clashes Between Army and Kurdish Forces

Displaced Syrians are returning to Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh in Aleppo after deadly clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish-led forces, which forced over 150,000 people to flee and killed nearly two dozen. While basic services are being restored and security sweeps completed, tensions remain as skirmishes continue between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Aleppo.

Displaced Syrians are beginning to return to the contested neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh in northern Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish-led fighters. During the five days of fighting, which resulted in the deaths of nearly two dozen people, more than 150,000 residents fled the two Kurdish-held pockets of the city. Aleppo Governor Azzam Ghareeb stated that, over the weekend, Damascus had regained full control of Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh, where the intense fighting had taken place.
Convoys carrying families who had fled to nearby Afrin returned to the damaged neighborhoods, with residents honking their hooters in celebration and dancing on the streets upon disembarking from buses. However, returnees had to wait before being allowed back into their homes as civil defense workers and security forces conducted sweeps to remove mines and unexploded shells. Although work to restore water and other basic services has only just begun, those returning expressed relief and happiness at being able to come back after fearing long-term displacement.
“The return was very pleasant, no one questioned us or stopped us at any checkpoints,” said Anas, who returned with his wife and children from Afrin. “Before, we used to be stopped at checkpoints and questioned. Things are much better now than they were before.”
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised to unify the country after 14 years of war, but progress has been slow, particularly regarding the integration of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration into the national framework. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main Kurdish-led faction in the northeast, remain cautious of al-Sharaa’s Islamist-led government.
Meanwhile, there were reports of fresh skirmishes overnight between government forces and the SDF in a tense area of eastern Aleppo province, signaling the potential for a new escalation. No immediate casualties have been reported from these clashes. The Syrian army has previously declared parts of eastern Aleppo province a “closed military zone,” highlighting the ongoing security concerns in the region.
Eastern Aleppo province continues to be a tense frontline, dividing areas under government control from large swathes of territory in northeastern Syria held by the SDF. The US-backed Kurdish-led group has been instrumental in combating the Islamic State in eastern Syria and remains the largest force yet to be integrated into Syria’s national army, posing ongoing challenges for unifying the country.