Overview
- The army declared on Saturday it had secured all of Aleppo, but Kurdish fighters denied the claim and AFP reporters still heard gunfire in Sheikh Maqsud.
- A limited ceasefire ran from 03:00 to 09:00 local time Friday with orders for Kurdish units to withdraw from Sheikh Maqsud, Ashrafiyeh and Bani Seid, which local councils rejected.
- UN agencies estimate roughly 30,000 people have fled the fighting, while state media reports as many as 140,000 displaced, and activists cited strikes hitting civilian sites including a hospital.
- Government forces used artillery and tanks in urban areas and later announced a humanitarian corridor in Sheikh Maqsud as they signaled further operations after the truce.
- US envoy Tom Barrack worked to extend the pause, EU leaders visited Damascus with reconstruction pledges, and Turkey offered support to Damascus against SDF-linked fighters.