Aleppo, January 11, 2026 – Intense fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rocked Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood since January 6, culminating in the army's capture of the area.
Government troops advanced decisively, detaining over 300 SDF fighters, while others were escorted east across the Euphrates River in government-provided buses. Syrian sources report SDF fighters abandoned weapons caches, including drones, rockets, and explosives hidden under Qurans as booby traps. Some sdf militants reportedly blew themselves up during the retreat.
The SDF cut water from the Al-Babiri station, vital for 5 million in Aleppo and rural areas. An SDF kamikaze drone smashed into the City Hall building. The Aleppo Health Directorate tallied 129 civilian casualties from SDF attacks on residential areas between January 6-10 (24 killed—including a child, four women, and a dental student—and 105 wounded).
The army declared a halt to operations by January 9, with relative calm as government forces take full control of Sheikh Maqsoud. Over 140,000 residents fled the violence, seeking shelter in schools, tents, and mosques across safer districts, while Syrian army is completing sweeping and combing operations.
