Large numbers of SDF members defected in Syria’s Aleppo, security forces prepare to deploy, governor says

Large number of members of the PKK/YPG terrorist group operating under the name of SDF have defected in Aleppo amid preparations by Syrian security forces to deploy in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in the northern city, a governor said Thursday.

"Information received indicated that large numbers of SDF members had defected in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, while others had fled," Aleppo Governor Azzam Gharib said in a post on the US social media company X.

"These developments could pave the way for a significant shift on the ground," he added.

The governor said internal security forces are now preparing to deploy inside the two neighborhoods to fully secure them and ensure the safe return of displaced residents to their homes.

"A dark chapter in Aleppo is beginning to close," he said.