CENTCOM urges parties in Aleppo to return to negotiations
Shafaq News– Aleppo
On Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) urged all parties in Syria’s Aleppo to exercise maximum restraint and avoid escalation, following the armed clashes between forces affiliated with the Damascus government and the Kurdish Interior Security Forces, affiliated with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
In a statement, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that the US military is closely monitoring developments in Aleppo and the surrounding region, calling on all relevant parties to “return to the negotiating table in good faith and seek a lasting diplomatic solution through dialogue.”
“A Syria at peace with itself and with its neighbors would contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East,” Cooper said, noting that “the United States and Syria have a shared interest in preserving peace and stability across the region.”
Statement from Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander: pic.twitter.com/rhGBKoW7Jl
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 13, 2026
Since last December, Aleppo has seen escalating security tensions that have left at least 24 people dead and around 129 others injured, according to the city’s Health Directorate. Meanwhile, SDF-affiliated media reported that 10 civilians were killed inside the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, including four women and two children. The clashes also forced more than 165,000 people to leave their homes.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said on January 10 that the group and the government forces reached a ceasefire following international mediation, noting that the deal permits the evacuation of the dead and wounded, along with civilians and fighters trapped in the two neighborhoods, to northern and eastern Syria.
