The Syrian Ministry of Health announced that the PKK terrorist organization and affiliated armed groups have evacuated staff and doctors from Yasin Hospital in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. The Ministry stated that these forces converted the hospital into a fortified military position before fleeing advancing units of the Syrian Arab Army. Civilians are urged to stay away from the facility for their safety.
Following the neighborhood's liberation from SDF militia, internal security forces were deployed in Sheikh Maqsoud on Saturday. Officials stated this move aims to establish security, protect civilians, secure property, and create conditions for a gradual return to normal life.
Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian army reported it had completed combing operations in Sheikh Maqsoud, signaling it seized the area by force after a temporary ceasefire failed to halt days of deadly fighting. The army acknowledged some Kurdish fighters remain in hiding. However, Kurdish forces denied the government had captured the district, claiming they continue to resist. Reuters reporters in Aleppo noted no audible clashes at the time.
The army's takeover of Sheikh Maqsoud would end Kurdish control over pockets of Aleppo held since the war began in 2011. Kurdish forces still administer large semi-autonomous areas in northeast Syria but have resisted integration into the Syrian state. With negotiations stalled, fighting erupted in Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least nine civilians and displacing over 140,000 people.
In related diplomatic efforts, US envoy Tom Barrack stated on social media platform X that he met with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi in Amman on Saturday to consolidate a ceasefire and ensure a peaceful Kurdish withdrawal from Aleppo.
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