Civilians escape from Syria's Mabouja village amid SDF blockade PHOTO

Dozens of residents from al-Mabouja village in the Deir Hafer area of eastern Aleppo countryside fled toward Syrian government-controlled areas on January 16, local sources said. 

They were forced to take risky secondary and agricultural paths to leave the village, Caliber.Az reports via Syrian media.

The evacuation comes as the SDF continues to block civilians from using the humanitarian corridor set up by the Syrian Arab Army’s Operations Command, leaving families with no choice but to rely on unsafe alternative routes.

On January 14, the Operations Command announced via official media that safe humanitarian corridors had been secured for civilians in Deir Hafer wishing to evacuate. 

The corridor was later extended for an additional day, with authorities urging residents to use the designated route.

On January 6, heavy clashes reignited in Aleppo between Syrian government forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after a fragile truce broke down, with both sides carrying out shelling and drone attacks that caused civilian and combatant casualties.

The fighting escalated amid stalled talks over a March 2025 plan to integrate the SDF into Syria’s security and military structures—a deal that has stalled, deepening mistrust between Damascus and Kurdish authorities.

By Jeyhun Aghazada