Syrian forces search for explosives, weapons after SDF pulls out of Aleppo

Residents start returning to areas previously controlled by SDF fighters after their withdrawal from the city.Published On 12 Jan 2026Syrian government forces have been carrying out security sweeps in the city of Aleppo after days of battles with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).As some residents displaced by the fighting began returning to their areas, army forces on Monday were working to remove explosive devices and weapons in other parts.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Integration of armed factions remains one of Syria’s biggest challengeslist 2 of 4Syrian army ramps up Aleppo strikes against SDF fighterslist 3 of 4US launches new attacks against ISIL in Syria over deadly ambushlist 4 of 4Clashes in Aleppo highlight challenge of SDF integration for Syriaend of listThe operation comes after the last SDF fighters left Aleppo on Sunday following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to parts of northeastern Syria, where the Kurdish-led forces run a semi-autonomous zone.The intense fighting that erupted last week was linked to stalled negotiations over the integration of Kurdish-run institutions and SDF fighters into the Syrian state following an agreement reached between both sides in March last year.Residents of Ashrafieh, the first of the two neighbourhoods to fall to the Syrian army, began returning to their homes to inspect the damage, finding shrapnel and broken glass littering the streets on Sunday.“Most people are returning to Ashrafieh, and they have begun to rebuild as there has been a lot of destruction,” said Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Aleppo.He added that this was not the case for Sheikh Maqsoud, where government forces were still searching for explosives.Smith added that Syrian forces were also looking for opposition prisoners arrested by the SDF during the rule of former leader Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown in December 2024 by forces led by the incumbent, Ahmed al-Sharaa.