The Syrian government forces launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in the east of Aleppo, days after clashes between the two factions killed 23 people and displaced more than 1,50,000.
At least 4,000 people left the Deir Hafer area on Friday after the army issued a deadline to them to flee the region, according to Syrian authorities.
In response to the strikes targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir Hafer, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said that his forces would withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River.
In a post on X, Abdi wrote: “Based on calls from friendly countries and mediators … we have decided to withdraw our forces tomorrow at 7 am [04:00 GMT]” east of Aleppo “towards redeployment in areas east of the Euphrates.”
Abdi also said he was committed to restoring peace in the already war-torn country that has just started restructuring itself.
As a goodwill gesture following the fighting in Aleppo, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Friday declaring Kurdish a “national language”.
Also Read: Syrian govt seizes Aleppo districts after 14 years
In a televised address announcing the decree, al-Sharaa urged Kurds to “actively participate in building this nation”, promising to “guarantee” their rights.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army declared that its actions would focus on liberating areas from the Kurdish militia forces who are using the occupied territory “as a launching point for their terrorist operations towards the city of Aleppo and its eastern countryside”.
Delays in the implementation of a deal struck in March, 2025, between the Syrian government and the SDF have led to fierce clashes between the two sides in Aleppo.
According to the country’s health authorities, 23 people have lost their lives in recent clashes that occurred in this past month, where more than 1,50,000 people fled two pockets of the city that the SDF has controlled since the onset of the Arab Spring in 2011.
The United States and other Western nations have pledged support to strengthen a unified Syria after the country’s horrific 14-year-long civil war.
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