Aleppo, Syria — Around 500 fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew from the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, marking the beginning of a phased pullout under a negotiated agreement with Syria’s transitional government.
Local officials confirmed that the remaining SDF fighters are expected to leave in the coming days, pending the completion of a prisoner exchange.
“The prisoner swap will be carried out in two phases in the coming days. After that, the Kurdish forces will completely withdraw from Aleppo’s neighborhoods,” said Mohamed Arhim, spokesperson for Aleppo’s newly established city administration.
The agreement, finalized earlier this week, stipulates a full SDF withdrawal from the predominantly Kurdish districts of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. These areas, long controlled by Kurdish forces, are geographically isolated from the SDF’s main strongholds in eastern Syria.
On Friday, the transition of authority officially began, with the first convoy of Kurdish fighters departing the city and heading east of the Euphrates River under the supervision of the Syrian Ministry of Defense. “The neighborhoods will now be administered by the General Security Forces and the Ministry of Interior,” Arhim added.
Temporary Arrangement Reflects Shifting Power Dynamics
The withdrawal comes after years of strained relations between Kurdish factions and the former regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December. The country’s transitional authority took over governance at the end of March.
Both Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh have witnessed repeated clashes and sieges over the past decade, emblematic of the broader conflict between Kurdish forces and state-aligned militias.
Zana Amedi, a spokesperson for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), confirmed the retreat via social media.
“Our forces are leaving Aleppo, handing over the areas to our allies in the Asayish,” Amedi posted on X, referring to the Kurdish internal security force. A video accompanying the post showed YPG and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) vehicles exiting the city to applause from local residents.
Although full security control will ultimately be handed to Damascus, the transitional agreement permits the Asayish to maintain two operational centers within the neighborhoods. A joint committee has been tasked with evaluating future governance structures in the area.
The first phase of the prisoner exchange took place on Thursday, with Kurdish sources reporting that 146 SDF-affiliated detainees and 97 government-aligned prisoners were released.
Just two weeks ago, the SDF and Syria’s transitional authorities reached a broader political agreement aimed at ending years of division, including the integration of some Kurdish fighters into state institutions.
Understanding Syria’s Kurds
The Kurds are a stateless ethnic group spread across Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. In Syria, they are primarily concentrated in the northeast, where they established a semi-autonomous administration following the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.
The SDF—backed by the United States during the campaign against the Islamic State—is a multi-ethnic coalition largely made up of Kurdish fighters from the YPG and YPJ.
The withdrawal from Aleppo marks a pivotal shift in Kurdish strategy and could reshape the balance of power in northern Syria amid an ongoing political transition.
While they gained international recognition for defeating ISIS, relations with Damascus remained tense due to their demands for autonomy.
The recent agreement marks a significant shift in Syria’s political landscape as the new transitional government works to restore centralized authority and end over a decade of fragmentation.
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad-al-Shaibani expressed hope that growing international support for the new administration would lead to the lifting of long-standing sanctions.
“There is hope these unjust sanctions will be lifted, allowing Syria to rebuild and recover,” he said earlier this week.
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