Syrian forces search for explosives, weapons after SDF pulls out of Aleppo

"Residents start returning to areas previously controlled by SDF fighters after their withdrawal from the city. Syrian government forces have been carrying out security sweeps in the city of Aleppo after days of battles with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). As some residents displaced by the fighting began returning to their areas, army forces on Monday were working to remove explosive devices and weapons in other parts."

"The operation comes after the last SDF fighters left Aleppo on Sunday following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to parts of northeastern Syria, where the Kurdish-led forces run a semi-autonomous zone. The intense fighting that erupted last week was linked to stalled negotiations over the integration of Kurdish-run institutions and SDF fighters into the Syrian state following an agreement reached between both sides in March last year."

"Residents of Ashrafieh, the first of the two neighbourhoods to fall to the Syrian army, began returning to their homes to inspect the damage, finding shrapnel and broken glass littering the streets on Sunday. Most people are returning to Ashrafieh, and they have begun to rebuild as there has been a lot of destruction, said Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Aleppo. He added that this was not the case for Sheikh Maqsoud, where government forces were still searching for explosives."

Syrian government forces have entered neighbourhoods in Aleppo after the withdrawal of SDF fighters, carrying out security sweeps and removing explosive devices and weapons. The last SDF fighters left following a ceasefire that allowed evacuations from Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud to northeastern Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish-run areas. Intense fighting followed stalled talks over integrating Kurdish institutions and SDF fighters into the Syrian state after an agreement in March. Residents of Ashrafieh returned to inspect destruction and begin rebuilding, while government forces continue to search Sheikh Maqsoud for explosives and look for opposition prisoners arrested by the SDF during Bashar al-Assad’s rule, which ended in December 2024.

Read at www.aljazeera.com