The Syrian army announced on Saturday morning that over 90% of Aleppo’s Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood has been swept, with many members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested, SANA News Agency reported.
The Syrian forces combed through the neighbourhood, which had reportedly "dozens of mines scattered in its streets," while it also announced that the Internal Security Forces will enter the area after all danger is cleared.
In a counter report from Reuters, Kurdish forces assured that the neighbourhood had not been captured and that their forces were still present in Aleppo.
A military source accused the Kurdish forces of "using civilians as human shields and positioning themselves inside residents’ homes," SANA reported.
The report also mentions that army forces arrested a number of SDF organization members and seized heavy and medium weapons, large quantities of ammunition, light weapons, and explosive devices prepared for detonation.
Reuters reporters saw more than 100 men shuffling out of the neighborhood on foot, accompanied by security forces. The men were dressed in civilian clothes and were put on six buses.
Syrian security officials at the scene identified them as members of the Kurdish internal security forces, known as the Asayish, and said they had surrendered. There was no comment from the Asayish or other Kurdish officials on the matter.
The Syrian army later announced that it would suspend all military activities in Aleppo's Sheikh Maksoud district starting 3 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Saturday and expel Kurdish fighters to the city of Tabqa, SANA reported.
Kurdish forces led by the SDF said that these attacks by Syrian government troops were backed by Turkish drones.
These last escalations came after Kurdish groups rejected the ceasefire terms declared by Damascus that required their fighters to withdraw from the city.
Syrian army clashes with SDF forces
Kurdish councils in Syria's Aleppo said on Friday they would not evacuate neighbourhoods under their control as part of a ceasefire deal to end days of fighting between Kurdish forces and Syrian government fighters.
In a statement published by Syrian Kurdish outlets, the local councils of the Ashrafiyah and Sheikh Maksoud districts said calls to leave Aleppo were "a call to surrender" and that Kurdish forces would instead "defend their neighbourhoods".
A fierce exchange of fire extended into the night, with rescue workers scrambling to extinguish fires ignited by shelling, before the defense ministry said it would give armed groups a six-hour window to leave the contested areas.
The deadly stand-off between Damascus and Kurdish authorities, who have resisted integrating into the central government, is a major challenge for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to unite the country after 14 years of civil war.
Barrack meets Jordanian authorities to discuss Syria situation
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met on Saturday with Jordan's Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi to discuss the recent developments in Syria, both in Aleppo and in the southern region near the city of Sweida.
Barrack assured that both Jordan and the US have an interest in solving the situation in Aleppo peacefully, with a ceasefire that ensures the withdrawal of the SDF, and guarantees the security and protection of all civilians.
"Minister Safadi and Ambassador Barrack also affirmed the continuation of joint efforts to implement the roadmap to end the crisis in Sweida and stabilize southern Syria," the statement ended.
This last statement comes after the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army carried out airstrikes near Sweida in southern Syria on December 24, according to Syrian state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV.
James Genn contributed to this report.