SDF Withdrawal Aleppo 2026: Shattered Classrooms and Failed Integration

Spent bullet casings litter the corridors where children once sat for exams. In Aleppo's Ashrafieh neighborhood, the Qassem Amin school turned into a battleground last week. Fierce fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government forces forced pupils to flee mid-exam as snipers took over the top floor. Today, desks that once held notebooks serve as barricades in the stairwells.

SDF Withdrawal Aleppo 2026: A Bitter End to a 10-Year Hold

According to Al Jazeera, at least 155,000 people fled their homes during the five days of intense fighting. The areas had been under SDF control for 10 years. While a merger deal was struck in March 2025 between SDF leader Mazloum Abdi and President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the integration never materialized. The SDF finally agreed to withdraw last week to prevent further civilian casualties.

Security Searches and the Post-Assad Reality

The Syrian army is now fully in control of these neighborhoods. Security forces are searching for booby traps and prisoners taken during the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. Although the SDF has left the city, they aren't gone. They're reportedly regrouping in the countryside, just 50km east of Aleppo, maintaining control over Syria's northeast.