Syria halts operations against YPG terror group in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud

The Syrian army’s Operations Command has announced a halt to all military operations inside the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood in northern Aleppo city against the YPG terror group.

In statements carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the Operations Command said, “We announce the halt of all military operations inside the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood in Aleppo starting at 1200 GMT.”

It added that “YPG terrorists entrenched inside Yassin Hospital will be transferred towards the city of Tabqah, with their weapons withdrawn.”

The command further said that “the army will begin handing over all health and government facilities to state institutions and will gradually withdraw from the streets of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood.”

YPG is the Syrian branch of the terror group PKK.

In its terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly.

Earlier, the defence ministry said in a statement that “the only option left for the armed elements in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood is to immediately surrender themselves and their weapons to the nearest military point, in exchange for guaranteeing their lives and personal safety ”.

YPG attacks

A member of the Syrian Internal Security Forces was wounded earlier by fire from a drone launched by the terrorist group YPG targeting the northern city of Aleppo.

State-run Alikhbaria TV said that “one member of the Internal Security Forces was injured by fire from a drone launched by the YPG at the city of Aleppo from the Deir Hafir area.”

It added that the Syrian Army is responding to drones launched by the terror group from the Deir Hafir area, targeting neighbourhoods of Aleppo.

The Interior Ministry is deploying military patrols inside Aleppo’s Ashrafieh neighbourhood to maintain security and reinforce stability in the area, SANA reported earlier.

Drones sent by the YPG terror group are hindering the entry of a humanitarian aid convoy into Aleppo’s Ashrafieh neighbourhood, amid fears they could target gatherings of civilians, SANA also reported.

Since Tuesday, the YPG has shelled residential neighbourhoods, civilian facilities, and Syrian Army positions in Aleppo.

The attacks have killed nine people and wounded 55 others and triggered the displacement of about 165,000 residents from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods.

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

Authorities said, in the months since, the YPG 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 the Assad regime in December 2024, after 24 years in power.