Syrian government, SDF agree to ceasefire after clashes in Aleppo

Syria’s Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced on October 7 that a “comprehensive ceasefire” had been reached with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) across all fronts in northeastern Syria. The agreement was made during a meeting in Damascus with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.

The ceasefire, which took immediate effect according to Syria’s Ministry of Defence, followed a night of intense clashes in the city of Aleppo — marking the first major episode of urban warfare between the two sides since the new government, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, came to power, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“A ceasefire was reached in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods,” the state-run Syrian News Agency reported earlier in the day. These two Kurdish-majority districts in Aleppo, Syria’s commercial hub and second-largest city, remain under SDF control.

Tensions had been escalating for days in Aleppo, a city that once housed over two million residents before the outbreak of the civil war in 2011 and is home to tens of thousands of Kurds. A previously US-brokered plan to facilitate the SDF’s withdrawal from the neighbourhoods had failed multiple times. The SDF had insisted their presence was solely for defensive purposes.

The ceasefire follows renewed diplomatic efforts by the United States to revive a previous deal struck on March 10 between President Al Shara and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi. Despite regime change in Damascus, the SDF has retained control over large swathes of northern and eastern Syria.

On the same day as the ceasefire talks, President Al Shara met with US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and US Central Command chief Adm Brad Cooper in Damascus. According to Syrian state media, the three discussed steps to implement the March 10 agreement.

At least one member of Syria’s domestic security forces and one civilian were killed in Monday night’s clashes, Syrian state television reported.

Residents confirmed that an overnight curfew imposed in Aleppo had been lifted. However, many described intense fighting throughout the night. “They were firing artillery at Sheikh Maqsoud from right next to my home,” said a woman living near the Aleppo National Museum, who asked not to be named.

A UN worker in Aleppo said staff had been ordered to work from home, while all government offices and schools in the city were shut due to the unrest.

Aleppo’s governor, Azzam Al Ghareeb, said government forces “are not seeking military escalation.” The clashes came just hours after the announcement of parliamentary election results that saw only President Al Shara’s loyalists entering the legislature.

By Sabina Mammadli