Syria tells Kurdish forces to pull back from eastern Aleppo city

ALEPPO,— Syrian government Islamist militias, which they call the army, on Tuesday ordered Kurdish forces to leave an area east of Aleppo after seizing two Kurdish neighborhoods in the city last week during deadly clashes.

State television published a statement from the army alongside a map, declaring a wide stretch a “closed military zone.” The statement said that “all armed groups in this area must withdraw to east of the Euphrates River.”

The zone stretches from near Deir Hafer, roughly 50 kilometers east of Aleppo, eastward to the Euphrates, and extends southward as well.

On Monday, the Syrian government accused the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces of sending reinforcements to Deir Hafer.

Authorities said they deployed their own troops to counter the alleged buildup. The SDF denied sending additional forces, according to a statement.

Government reinforcements, including artillery units, were reported moving toward Deir Hafer on Tuesday, AFP reported.

Last weekend, Syrian government militias captured full control of Aleppo after taking over its Kurdish neighborhoods. Remaining Kurdish fighters were evacuated to Syria’s northeast Kurdish region, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), following days of fighting.

Human rights groups and local sources have accused Syrian government militias of abusing civilians in the Kurdish neighborhoods. The clashes displaced more than 155,000 people, mostly Kurds, who fled to Syrian Kurdistan controlled by the Kurdish administration.

The clashes erupted after negotiations between the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava Kurdistan and Syria’s central government broke down. The talks had focused on integrating Kurdish forces into the country’s new Islamist government.

The SDF continues to control large portions of northern and northeastern Syria, including many oil-rich areas seized during the civil war and the fight against the Islamic State, according to analysts and local sources.

Analysts note that the Syrian government’s so-called army largely consists of former al Qaeda fighters who were part of the Ansar al-Nusra Front and later rebranded as HTS, considered a terrorist organization until early 2025.

The army also includes thousands of foreign Islamist militants who now hold military ranks. Human rights groups report that many of these fighters were responsible for massacres and crimes against humanity.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)