Last Kurdish forces leave Aleppo after ceasefire deal reached

The final Kurdish fighters have withdrawn from the Syrian city of Aleppo, after the announcement of a ceasefire deal in the early hours of Sunday morning. Mazloum Abdi, leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said an agreement had been made via international mediation, securing the safe evacuation of "martyrs, the wounded, the trapped civilians and the fighters" from the city. Buses carrying the last Kurdish-led SDF members were seen leaving the Kurdish majority neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud, according to local media reports. The latest clashes in Aleppo started earlier this week, after negotiations to integrate the Kurds into Syria's new government reached a stalemate.At least 12 people were killed in the latest outbreak of violence, which also saw tens of thousands of civilians displaced after they were forced to flee Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.The Syrian Army shelled the area on Wednesday afternoon after designating the neighbourhoods "closed military areas", in response to what it alleged were attacks by armed groups in the area. The Kurdish-led SDF - which insists it has no military presence in Aleppo - called it a "criminal attempt" to forcibly displace residents.A ceasefire was raised earlier in the week, but Kurdish forces refused to leave the last stronghold of Sheikh Maksoud under the deal.In March 2025, the Kurdish-led SDF, which controls much of Syria's north-east and has tens of thousands of fighters, signed a deal to integrate all military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state. Both sides accusing each other of trying to derail the negotiations that followed, with the agreement still not realised almost a year later. The newest iteration of the ceasefire agreement was mediated by the US and other world powers, following concern that the stand-off in Aleppo risked Turkey's involvement. Turkey backs the Syrian government and considers the Kurdish militia that dominates the SDF a terrorist organisation.In a post to X on Saturday, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said he had met the Syrian president and urged all parties to "exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue" in accordance with the March agreement. He added that the US has welcomed Syria's "historic transition", and would extend its support to President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he "works to stabilize the country".