The deadline set by the Syrian government for the YPG terror group to withdraw from Aleppo has expired, the country's defence ministry said on Friday.
The time limit given to the group ended at 9 am local time (0600GMT), after the Syrian army largely gained control of the Ashrafieh and Bani Zaid neighbourhoods through targeted operations against YPG positions in the city centre.
The Syrian Defence Ministry announced a ceasefire in the early hours of Friday, giving armed groups six hours to withdraw from the city.
The clashes that had intensified on Thursday night and continued intermittently until 3 am in Ashrafieh and Bani Zaid, at times escalating along the lines of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, ceased following the ministry’s announcement.
“Armed individuals will only be allowed to carry light personal weapons. Their safe passage will be ensured by the Syrian army, allowing them to exit toward the country’s northeastern regions,” the ministry had said.
Syrian forces are expected to continue targeted operations if the group fails to leave Aleppo.
Operations in Aleppo
The YPG terror group has carried out attacks on multiple locations in Aleppo from areas it has occupied since January 6, according to Syrian officials.
Damascus had called on the group to comply with a March agreement and to halt its attacks.
The Syrian presidency announced on March 10 2025 the signing of an agreement for the YPG terror group’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.
But in the months since, authorities say, the YPG terror group has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreement.
As the assaults continued, the Syrian army launched targeted operations against the group’s positions in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods, which were under its occupation.
The government has intensified efforts to maintain security across the country since the ouster of Bashar al Assad’s regime on December 8 2024, after 24 years in power.
Since January 6, at least nine Syrians have been killed and 55 people – most of them civilians – have been wounded in attacks carried out by the YPG terror group.
The Aleppo City Centre Committee earlier said 142,000 people had been evacuated to safe areas within the city.
