DAMASCUS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian internal security forces on Saturday began entering Sheikh Maqsoud, the last Kurdish-held neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo, to secure the area after the army declared its military clearance operations complete.
Citing a government source, the state-run SANA news agency said the deployment, coordinated with the army, aims to complete search-and-sweep operations and stabilize the predominantly Kurdish neighborhood.
SANA showed footage of security forces fanning out and reported that Aleppo's internal security chief Mohammad Abdul Ghani had toured the area and met with residents.
The army had earlier declared Sheikh Maqsoud a closed military zone after deadlines for Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters to withdraw expired.
Shortly after the entry, the Syrian army's Operations Command announced in a statement a halt to all military operations in the neighborhood starting at 3:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT), citing efforts to de-escalate fighting and restore state control.
The statement added that the army would begin handing over all health and government facilities in the neighborhood to state institutions and gradually withdraw from the streets of Sheikh Maqsoud as security arrangements are finalized.
Meanwhile, the SDF said in a statement its fighters have continued what it described as "resistance" against attacks by government forces backed by Turkish drones.
Earlier on Saturday, a member of the SDF detonated himself near army units in Sheikh Maqsoud, without causing casualties, according to SANA.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army's Operations Command said three Syrian soldiers were killed and more than 12 others wounded in SDF attacks on its positions in Aleppo, accusing the group of systematic shelling and attacks on civilian areas before military targets.
The violence marks a breakdown in a March 2025 agreement intended to integrate Kurdish civil and military institutions, including the SDF, into the Syrian state. Following stalled implementation, the Defense Ministry on Wednesday declared all SDF positions in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh -- under Kurdish control since 2012 -- as "legitimate targets."
Aleppo has seen days of intense clashes and reciprocal shelling between government forces and the SDF, causing large-scale civilian displacement from affected neighborhoods. ■
