Shafaq News– Damascus

The Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached an agreement under US sponsorship on Friday to withdraw the Kurdish Interior Security Forces (Asayish) fighters from predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo to areas in northeastern Syria, a government source told Shafaq News.

Buses arrived on the outskirts of the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in preparation for transporting Asayish forces and their families. Shafaq News correspondent noted that the two neighborhoods experienced a state of calm, with clashes halting from Thursday night through Friday morning.

Under the deal, the Syrian government will allow Asayish fighters to leave the neighborhoods carrying only light individual weapons and relocate to areas under SDF control in the northeast.

The recent clashes between the Syrian government forces and SDF lasted for three days, resulting in more than 10 civilian deaths and 100 injuries, in addition to at least 20 casualties among fighters from both sides.

Aleppo also witnessed intense clashes between the two sides last month, resulting in civilian casualties. The fighting concluded with a ceasefire declared by both sides following US pressure.

Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh have remained under the control of Kurdish units linked to the SDF despite an earlier agreement in April under which fighters were expected to withdraw from the two neighborhoods.