Mohammad Sio
10 January 2026•Update: 11 January 2026
- Syria expresses gratitude to Türkiye for ‘constructive role’ in supporting country’s stability and territorial unity
ISTANBUL
The Syrian government said Saturday that its security operation in parts of Aleppo against the terrorist organization YPG/SDF was “a limited law-enforcement measure” aimed at “preventing the use of Syrian territory for activities that threaten regional security.”
A Foreign Ministry statement said the government conducted “a narrowly defined operation” in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods to restore public order and protect civilians following repeated “violations” of security arrangements previously agreed with the SDF.
The ministry said security agreements reached in April 2025 were intended to end all non-state military activity in the two neighborhoods, but later collapsed due to repeated breaches by the SDF.
Damascus stressed that “the intervention was not a military campaign, did not involve demographic change, or target any group on ethnic or religious grounds.”
The measures “were directed solely at armed groups operating outside agreed security frameworks,” the ministry said, accusing those groups of serious violations, including the recruitment of minors.
According to the statement, the government prioritized civilian protection by establishing advanced response points and opening safe humanitarian corridors in coordination with humanitarian organizations.
Authorities will begin surveying affected areas and clearing unexploded ordnance as a first step toward restoring normal civilian life, it said.
The ministry said the measures “were based on the principles of necessity and proportionality,” emphasizing that the Kurdish community “is an integral part of Aleppo’s social fabric and active partners in national institutions.”
It said restoring the state’s exclusive authority over weapons is essential for stability, advancing the political process and “preventing Syrian territory from being used as a platform for armed activities that threaten regional security.”
The Foreign Ministry also expressed gratitude to Türkiye, the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France, and the UK, as well as Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, for their “constructive role in supporting Syria’s stability and territorial unity.”
Earlier, the Syrian Army’s Operations Command announced a halt to all military operations inside Sheikh Maqsoud following an escalation with the YPG/SDF terror group.
Since Tuesday, the SDF has shelled residential neighborhoods, civilian facilities, and Syrian Army positions in Aleppo. The attacks have killed nine people and wounded 55 others, and triggered the displacement of about 165,000 residents from Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud.
Last March 10, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement for the SDF’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.
But authorities said that in the months since, the SDF has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreement.
The government has intensified efforts to maintain security across the country since the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, after 24 years in power.
