Syria Declares Aleppo Cease-Fire, Plans Escort for Trapped Kurdish Fighters

Overview

• The Defense Ministry said fighting would pause in Sheikh Maqsud, Achrafieh and Bani Zeid, with surrounded Kurdish fighters to be transferred to the northeast with light weapons under army escort.
• Roughly 30,000 people fled in two days, according to the UN humanitarian office, as urban clashes erupted on January 6.
• Reported deaths vary from at least 15 to at least 21, while Aleppo’s airport closed, flights shifted to Damascus, and schools and commerce were suspended.
• The army designated key Kurdish districts as military zones and announced humanitarian corridors, with residents reporting periods of calm after the cease-fire took effect.
• Damascus and Kurdish leaders issued conflicting accounts, including a disputed claim of an attack on Al-Razi hospital, while the U.S. envoy thanked parties for restraint and sought to extend the truce as Turkey and Israel took opposing positions.