The Syrian government has demanded the withdrawal of the PKK/YPG terror group, operating under the name of SDF, from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods of Aleppo, saying their presence violates a previous agreement and undermines security in the city.
In a statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Wednesday, the government said that claims made by the SDF regarding the situation in Aleppo contain “fundamental inaccuracies” and do not reflect realities on the ground, adding that they contradict the March 2025 agreement.
The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.
Damascus said the SDF’s assertion that it has no military presence inside Aleppo “amounts to an explicit acknowledgement that it bears no security or military role in the city,” reinforcing that responsibility for maintaining security and protecting residents rests exclusively with the Syrian state.
The government stressed that protecting all citizens “is a fixed national and legal responsibility exercised without discrimination,” rejecting attempts to portray security measures as targeting a specific community.
It said those displaced from areas of tension were civilian residents only, all of whom are Kurdish citizens who left their neighbourhoods out of fear of escalation and sought refuge in areas under state control – a move the government said demonstrates trust in the state’s ability to provide protection and refutes claims of targeted threats against them.
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Renewing call for withdrawal of armed groups
Measures taken around the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods are “aimed solely at preserving security and preventing armed activity inside residential areas or their use as leverage against the city”, while ensuring civilian safety and the protection of property, the statement added.
Damascus renewed its call for the withdrawal of armed groups from both neighbourhoods and urged the full neutralisation of civilians from political or media disputes, rejecting inflammatory rhetoric that could fuel tensions and destabilise Aleppo.