UPDATE - SDF elements to be transferred from Aleppo neighborhoods in coming hours

UPDATE WITH DETAILS AND BACKGROUND

By Lina Altawell

ISTANBUL (AA) - Elements of the terrorist organization YPG/SDF will be transferred from Aleppo neighborhoods to areas east of the Euphrates, Syria's Defense Ministry said on Friday, as a temporary ceasefire expired after six hours.

The Aleppo Media Directorate, citing the ministry, said “SDF elements will be transferred from Aleppo neighborhoods in the coming hours to areas east of the Euphrates, carrying light personal weapons.”

The move comes as the deadline set by Damascus for the SDF to withdraw from Aleppo expired earlier Friday. Authorities said the group failed to fully comply with withdrawal terms, prompting warnings from the ministry that targeted operations would continue if the transfer was not completed.

Vehicles arrived at the Lairamoun roundabout in Aleppo in preparation for entering the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to transport the SDF elements, according to Alikhbaria TV.

A correspondent of SANA news agency in Aleppo said Civil Defense teams reopened the Castello Road between the Jandoul and Lairamoun roundabouts toward northern Aleppo countryside, after taking the necessary measures to ensure traffic flow and civilian safety.

The news agency said Internal Security Forces, in coordination with the Operations Directorate of the Syrian Army, are preparing to open a safe corridor to allow SDF to withdraw from positions in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood toward the country’s northeast.

On March 10, 2025, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement for the SDF’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.

Authorities said in the months since, the SDF has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreement.

The government has intensified efforts to maintain security across the country since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, after 24 years in power.