Kurdish fighters rejected a call to leave Syria’s Aleppo on Friday (January 9, 2026) after the government announced a truce in deadly fighting that forced thousands of civilians to flee.
Since Tuesday (January 6, 2026), government forces had been fighting the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, the country’s second city.
The violence killed 21 people and was the latest challenge for a country still struggling to forge a new path after Islamist authorities ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad just over a year ago.
Clashes erupt in Aleppo after hundreds flee through corridors opened by Syria’s government
It also forced around 30,000 families to flee their homes, according to the U.N..
