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Photos: Syrian army enters Deir Hafer after SDF withdrawal

Government troops enter the city earlier controlled by the SDF, marking a shift in territorial control in the Aleppo governorate.

Syrian army forces drive on motorbikes in front of a military vehicle.
The Syrian army enters Deir Hafer after the SDF withdraws, following the military operation launched in the west of the Euphrates River, eastern Aleppo, Syria on January 17, 2026 [Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu/Getty Images]
By Al Jazeera and Agencies
Published On 17 Jan 2026

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The Syrian military says it is advancing to secure territories formerly controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo governorate.

On Saturday, government troops entered Deir Hafer, approximately 50km (30 miles) east of Aleppo city, following the SDF’s announcement of a planned withdrawal from their strongholds beginning early in the morning.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) announced via X on Friday that the group would pull back from contact lines east of Aleppo at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) on Saturday and relocate its forces to areas east of the Euphrates River, responding to requests from allied nations and mediators.

Syria’s Ministry of Defence expressed support for the SDF’s withdrawal decision, stating it would monitor the complete implementation, including the removal of fighters and equipment, before deploying Syrian military forces to assert state authority in the vacated regions.

Previously, Syrian military officials reported they had initiated shelling operations against bases belonging to a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and against former regime elements allied with the SDF in Deir Hafer.

The United States, which aims to establish lasting peace in Syria to enhance broader Middle East stability and prevent ISIL (ISIS) resurgence, has encouraged both parties to avoid confrontation and resume negotiations, according to Syrian officials and diplomatic sources.

Both sides participated in extensive talks throughout last year, working towards integrating Kurdish-administered military and civilian institutions into Syrian state structures by the end of 2025, with both repeatedly emphasising their preference for diplomatic solutions.

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Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
The army has achieved full control of the city and is now clearing mines and other war remnants, state media reported. Forces have begun advancing towards the town of Maskana. [Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu/Getty Images]
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Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
At least 4,000 people left the Deir Hafer area on Friday after the army issued a deadline to flee, according to Syrian authorities. [Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
Syrian army units deployed on Wednesday and Thursday to the town of Deir Hafer and surrounding villages just west of the Euphrates River held by the SDF, the main Kurdish fighting force and a years-long recipient of US support as it battled ISIL (ISIS). [Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
Syria's military has ordered SDF fighters to withdraw east of the river and opened a humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee to government-held territory. [Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
The announcement came after the army on Friday launched an operation against the SDF in Deir Hafer, saying it would focus on areas that the group’s forces were using “as a launching point for their terrorist operations towards the city of Aleppo and its eastern countryside”. [Abdulfettah Huseyin/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) said in response that his forces would withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River. [Abdulfettah Huseyin/Anadolu/Getty Images]
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Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Zaalanah, just east of Aleppo on the way to Deir Hafer, said the Syrian forces, who were building up around Deir Hafer for days, have started entering the town with the first hours of the morning. [Abdulfettah Huseyin/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
The Syrian government has been seeking to extend its authority nationwide following the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. [Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Syrian army enters the city after SDF withdraws from Dayr Hafir
As Syrian forces advanced, more than 150,000 people fled two pockets of the city that the SDF, which controls swaths of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast, had held since the early days of Syria’s war that erupted in 2011. [Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu/Getty Images]