The Aleppo clashes (2025–2026) were a series of clashes between the Syrian transitional government and Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo. The fighting was centered around the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods, both of which are Kurdish-majority districts and under the control of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria-affiliated Asayish police force. The clashes came to an end after the neighborhoods came under the control of the Syrian Army in January 2026.
Background
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah have been under local Kurdish administration and maintained a semi-autonomous status within Aleppo. Tensions between the Kurdish authorities and government-aligned forces have occasionally flared due to disputes over control, movement, and security in these districts.
10 March agreement
During the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Turkey and its affiliated militant group, the Syrian National Army, launched various offensives against Kurdish-controlled areas east of the Euphrates. Following months of fighting, which stalled near the Tishrin Dam, and an SDF counteroffensive in December 2024, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi and Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa signed the U.S.-backed 10 March agreement, which implemented a country-wide ceasefire and laid out principles for the integration of the DAANES into the new Syrian government. It envisaged equal representation for minorities in the political process and proposed integrating the SDF's military and civilian structures into the new Syrian state, while allowing the SDF to retain de facto control over border posts and oil fields in Kurdish areas. A follow-up agreement in April, which was reportedly also brokered with American involvement, established a joint security framework for the Kurdish enclaves in Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiyah, Aleppo. The neighborhoods remained under the control of the Asayish and several smaller Aleppo-based Kurdish groups.
Delays in implementing the 10 March agreement, with both sides accusing each other of obstruction, along with the cancellation of the SDF–Syria talks in Paris on 25 July and again on 9–10 August, heightened hostilities between the AANES and the Syrian government, which, according to Hawar News Agency and the Institute for the Study of War, was facing increasing Turkish pressure.
On 4 April, an agreement was reached in Aleppo between the neighborhood councils of Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maqsoud and the Syrian governments' presidential committee to implement the terms of a settlement with the SDF, which had controlled the two neighborhoods for several years. Under the agreement, a security center affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Interior would be established in both neighborhoods, while the main checkpoints would remain under the supervision of the Asayish and the ministry's internal security forces.
Rising tensions
In the beginning of July 2025, tensions in Aleppo increased when government forces blocked fuel supplies from reaching the Kurdish-majority and SDF-controlled neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiyah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the blockade as a continuation of "old regime tactics." In August, Nouri Sheikho, Deputy Head of the General Council of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh, told Kurdistan24 that tensions had risen in recent days following the "Unity of Components" conference in Hasakah.
Government reinforcements were subsequently regularly deployed to the vicinity of Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiyah in what was described as a "show-of-force operation" intended to raise fears of a possible field escalation.
October 2025
By the beginning of October, Kurdish news outlets reported that the Syrian Army had escalated measures by constructing earthen barriers and blocking roads on the outskirts of Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiyah, as well as barricading streets and establishing positions inside residential buildings. The SOHR confirmed the Syrian army's military buildup near the neighbourhoods.
Before fighting erupted in Aleppo, tensions escalated on 5 October, between the SDF and government forces in Dayr Hafir, east of Aleppo.
On 6 October 2025, clashes erupted between forces affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces and government troops in the neighborhoods of Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maqsoud. Following the confrontation, government forces closed all roads leading into the two neighborhoods, effectively restricting movement and access. Residents protested the closures, demanding freedom of movement, and some demonstrations were met with tear gas and live fire by security forces.
Heavy exchanges of fire, including small arms and medium weapons, were reported in the neighborhoods, resulting in casualties on both sides and displacing some families. Kurdish authorities accused the government-aligned forces of attempting to infiltrate the neighborhoods and targeting civilians. The Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that army movements in northern and northeastern Syria respond 'to repeated SDF attacks on civilians and security forces'. Calm returned to the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah after a preliminary agreement between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
On 7 October, following the heavy clashes between the SDF and the Transitional Government, a delegation consisting of SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi, Co-Chair of the Department of Foreign Relations Ilham Ahmed, and Women's Protection Units (YPJ) Commander Rojhilat Afrin met with transitional government leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The brief clashes from 5–7 October resulted in 3 deaths and over 26 injuries.
The U.S.-backed meeting resulted in the signing of a comprehensive ceasefire agreement between both sides across "all fronts and deployment areas." Defense minister Abu Qasra wrote on X that "the implementation of this agreement [would] begin immediately."
December 2025
On 22 December 2025, clashes erupted between Syrian transitional government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Syrian government stated that SDF units had targeted a checkpoint in Aleppo, injuring two civil defense personnel. In response, the SDF alleged that a Syrian government attack wounded two members of the Asayish.
The clashes began during a visit by a high-level Turkish delegation to Damascus, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense as well as the head of intelligence, and shortly before the reported end-of-year deadline for implementing the 10 March agreement.
Fighting initially involved small arms before escalating to artillery and medium- and heavy-weapons fire. SDF attacks reportedly affected several neighborhoods, including al-Jamiliya, Bustan al-Basha, al-Midan, al-Suryan, and al-Sabil, with snipers active near the al-Layramoun and al-Shayhan roundabouts in northern Aleppo. One mortar shell reportedly landed near al-Razi hospital. These areas are adjacent to Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiyah, where SDF forces maintain a strong presence.
According to Syrian state media, SDF units attempted to advance on government security positions, described as a "new violation" of the ceasefire agreement. The clashes also led to the closure of all access routes to Sheikh Maqsood and al-Ashrafiyah. Following the fighting, local authorities raised the readiness of emergency, disaster, health, and social services, advising residents to remain indoors. Aleppo governor, Azzam al-Gharib, temporarily suspended operations on 23 December for all public and private schools, universities, and government offices across the city.
Tensions shortly spread to eastern Syria, where SDF reinforcements were reportedly deployed to the village of Ghanem al-Ali near Syrian army-controlled areas in the Raqqa Governorate's countryside. At the same time, unmanned aerial vehicles were observed over the town of Ma'adan, under government control.
Hostilities subsided around 22:00 local time, as representatives of the Syrian government and SDF entered talks aimed at calming the situation and reaffirming the ceasefire. According to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, the clashes ended after orders were issued by the army's general command to halt strikes on SDF positions to prevent civilian casualties. The SDF stated it ceased its response after receiving calls for de-escalation, noting the decision was intended to restore calm.
The following day, 23 December, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Kurdish neighborhoods remained under siege, with electricity and water cut off, key roads closed, and internet services disrupted. Clashes in December resulted in 1 death and 9 injuries from combatants on both sides, as well as 4 deaths and 34 injuries among civilians.
On 26 December, the head of Internal Security in Aleppo, Mohammed Abdul Ghani, stated that snipers of the SDF opened fire on an Interior Ministry checkpoint near al-Shihan Roundabout in northern Aleppo, resulting in injuries to one member of the Internal Security Forces, who was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment. He said that security units responded to the source of the fire and neutralized it in line with established operational procedures. Abdul Ghani also urged civilians to avoid areas experiencing tension for their own safety and called on them to comply with official instructions.
Abdul Ghani held the SDF fully responsible for any escalation or consequences arising from what he described as repeated violations, stressing that continued breaches of ceasefires and attacks on security positions would prompt appropriate measures.
In response, the SDF media center accused what it described as factions linked to the Damascus government of deploying tanks and heavy military vehicles around the al-Ashrafieh neighborhood, calling it an escalation. The center stated that those factions would bear full responsibility for any resulting consequences.
January 2026
On 6 January 2026, clashes erupted in Aleppo. The Asayish forces targeted a Syrian government vehicle on the Castello Road in northern Aleppo, killing one soldier and injuring four others from the 72nd Division, the SOHR reported.
On 7 January, clashes in Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafieh intensified, and were described as the harshest day of clashes. Syrian government declared all Asayish military positions in the neighborhoods to be "legitimate targets." At 15:00 p.m. local time a full scale combined arms assault was launched by the Syrian Army on the neighbourhoods. The Syrian Army attempted to enter the areas with armored vehicles, including tanks, but these efforts were repelled by the Asayish. According to the SOHR, fighting that day killed at least one Asayish member and four Syrian Army soldiers.
On 8 January, clashes continued as the Syrian Army was trying to infiltrate the neighbourhoods, artillery shelling struck the Othman Hospital in Sheikh Maqsood, killing 8 civilians and injuring nearly 60 others. Turkish drones reportedly provided support for Syrian Army ground incursions. In the late evening hours, Syrian Army forces, succeeded in partially infiltrating the Ashrafieh neighborhood after fighters from the al-Baggara tribe defected and opened access to the area, as fighting persisted throughout the night.
On 9 January, the Syrian government declared a unilateral ceasefire to take effect at 03:00 local time and offered Kurdish fighters in the neighborhoods the option to evacuate to Kurdish-controlled areas in Northeastern Syria, after having captured the Ashrafieh neighbourhood. The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that Syrian army buses had arrived in Aleppo to evacuate the remaining Asayish fighters from Aleppo. However, the Kurdish councils in the neighborhoods rejected the proposal, describing it as "a call to surrender," and stated that Kurdish forces would instead "defend their neighborhoods." Clashes continued throughout the rest of the day, accompanied by hours-long artillery shelling by government forces going into the night.