Syrian army moves into east Aleppo after Kurdish forces withdraw
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- The Syrian army has advanced into areas east of Aleppo, including Deir Hafer, following the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announcement to withdraw and redeploy east of the Euphrates River after talks with US officials and a pledge from President Ahmed al-Sharaa to recognize Kurdish as a national language.
- President al-Sharaa's decree formally recognizes Kurdish national rights for the first time since Syria's independence, including making Kurdish a national language and recognizing the Kurdish new year as an official holiday, though Kurdish authorities view this as only a preliminary step.
- Despite the withdrawal and recognition efforts, tensions persist with mutual accusations of agreement violations; the Syrian army reported two soldiers killed by Kurdish forces and accused the SDF of violating the redeployment
