Syria government, SDF agree on the management of Aleppo's Kurdish neighborhoods

An agreement was reached between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday regarding the situation in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo.

The agreement, between the civilian council of the two neighborhoods and the committee tasked by the presidency with implementing it, stipulated several provisions aimed at promoting coexistence, preserving civil peace, and achieving stability in the region.

According to the text of the agreement, the two neighborhoods will remain administratively affiliated with the city of Aleppo, with an emphasis on respecting the social and cultural privacy of their residents. The Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces, will assume responsibility for protecting residents, restricting the carrying of weapons to the ministry's Internal Security Forces and preventing any other armed manifestations in the two neighborhoods.

The agreement stipulated the removal of earthen barriers from public roads, while maintaining the main checkpoints under the supervision of the Internal Security Forces. It also stipulated the withdrawal of military forces from the two neighborhoods to the area east of the Euphrates River. Two Internal Security centers will also be established, one in Sheikh Maqsoud and the other in Ashrafieh, to ensure the stability of the security situation.

Among other provisions, it was agreed to guarantee freedom of movement for residents of the two neighborhoods and prevent the prosecution of anyone not implicated in the bloodshed. A coordination committee will also be formed to facilitate movement between Aleppo and areas of northeastern Syria, along with the formation of other committees to oversee the implementation of the agreement on the ground.

The agreement also includes coordinating the work of civil and service institutions in the two neighborhoods with official authorities in Aleppo, and granting the two neighborhoods full representation in the provincial council and the chambers of commerce and industry.

It was also agreed that both sides would "clean up" prisons in Aleppo province and exchange all prisoners captured after the "liberation."

Service, administrative, and educational institutions in the two neighborhoods will continue until the joint central committees reach a sustainable solution to the situation there.