SDF Commander: Forces to Withdraw East of Aleppo After Calls from Mediators
SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi says SDF forces will withdraw from contact lines east of Aleppo at 7:00 a.m., citing goodwill, mediator efforts, and commitment to the March 10 agreement, amid ongoing attacks.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Mazloum Abdi, the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced on Friday that SDF forces will withdraw from current contact lines east of Aleppo, citing goodwill efforts and a commitment to implementing the March 10 agreement.
In a statement posted on his X account, Abdi said the decision was taken in response to calls from friendly countries and mediators, and as a demonstration of the SDF’s readiness to complete the integration process and adhere to the provisions of the March 10 agreement.
“Based on calls from friendly countries and mediators, and as a demonstration of our goodwill in completing the integration process and our commitment to implementing the provisions of the March 10 agreement, we have decided to withdraw our forces tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. from the current contact areas east of Aleppo, which have been subjected to attacks for the past two days, and to redeploy them to areas east of the Euphrates,” Abdi said.
The announcement comes amid a sharp military escalation east of Aleppo. The Syrian Democratic Forces have reported that the Syrian Arab Army has carried out intense and sustained artillery shelling on the city of Deir Hafer over recent days.
In an urgent statement issued on Friday, the SDF Media Center said Deir Hafer had come under heavy artillery bombardment by Syrian government forces. The SDF stressed that the shelling was not an isolated incident but part of a broader rise in tensions and an intensification of military attacks targeting the area.
According to the SDF, field sources confirmed that the use of heavy weapons and artillery posed a serious threat to the stability of the city and the safety of its residents, warning that the continued escalation risked further complicating the situation on the ground.
Abdi’s announcement signals a significant development in the evolving situation east of Aleppo, as the SDF frames its withdrawal as a confidence-building measure tied to mediation efforts and the implementation of previously agreed arrangements, amid ongoing security concerns in Deir Hafer.