Hundreds Return to Aleppo’s Achrafieh After Days of Heavy Fighting

Overview

Hundreds of displaced residents returned Monday to Aleppo’s Achrafieh neighborhood after days of intense clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led fighters. Fighting that began Jan. 6 in the predominantly Kurdish districts of Achrafieh, Sheikh Maqsoud and Bani Zeid left at least 23 dead and forced tens of thousands to flee; many displaced people — part of some 148,000 who left — went to Afrin. Security forces have taken control of the three neighborhoods, and buses carried roughly 700 families back to Achrafieh as shops reopened amid a visible security presence, though residents reported electricity outages.

Developments and context

Crews are clearing explosives, removing destroyed vehicles and inspecting tunnels in Sheikh Maqsoud after hundreds of Kurdish fighters evacuated to SDF-controlled northeastern Syria under a withdrawal deal. The clashes followed a breakdown in talks to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into a new national army formed after the December 2024 uprising, and tensions remain high: state media reported Syrian army reinforcements near eastern Aleppo after alleged SDF movements, which the SDF denied, accusing the government of stoking pretexts for escalation. as reported by ABC News