Syrian government forces moved through Aleppo’s Sheikh Maksoud district on Saturday, signaling that the army had taken control of the area from Kurdish fighters after a temporary ceasefire collapsed and days of deadly clashes failed to subside.

The fighting in Syria’s second-largest city has underscored a major fault line in the country’s fragile post-war landscape, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s pledge to reunify Syria under a single authority has met resistance from Kurdish forces wary of his Islamist-led administration.

People gather near a damaged mosque at the Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood after general security forces took control of the area, following the collapse of an agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 10, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Earlier in the week, the United States and other international powers welcomed a ceasefire agreement aimed at halting the violence. However, Kurdish fighters declined to withdraw from their remaining positions in Sheikh Maksoud under the terms of the deal. Late on Friday, the Syrian army announced it would launch a ground operation to expel them.

In the early hours of Saturday, the army said it had completed a sweep of the district, though it acknowledged that some Kurdish fighters were still hiding. In a statement, Kurdish forces rejected claims that Sheikh Maksoud had fallen, insisting they continued to resist. Reuters journalists in Aleppo reported no audible clashes at the time.

If confirmed, the army’s takeover of Sheikh Maksoud would bring an end to Kurdish control of isolated neighborhoods in Aleppo that have been held since the conflict erupted in 2011. Kurdish forces, however, continue to control large areas of northeastern Syria, where they administer a semi-autonomous region.

Tensions have intensified as Kurdish groups have resisted integration into the new Syrian government, which is dominated by former rebel factions that overthrew longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. With talks on their incorporation stalled, violence broke out in Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least nine civilians and displacing more than 140,000 people.

People are assisted as they evacuate from Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood following the collapse of an agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 10, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

A man carries his mother on his back as they evacuate from Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood following the collapse of an agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 10, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Source: Reuters