Syrian army says 'full military control' over town east of Aleppo after Kurds agree to withdraw

Syria's army said it took control of the town of Deir Hafer outside Aleppo city on Saturday, a day after Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw from the area following recent clashes.

In a statement to state television, the army said it had established "full military control" of Deir Hafer, while an AFP correspondent on the ground saw troops deploying inside the town.

The military urged civilians "not to enter the operations area" until the army had secured it and "cleared it of all mines and war remnants."

After driving out Kurdish forces from Aleppo city last week following deadly clashes, Syria's army deployed reinforcements near Deir Hafer and told the SDF to evacuate the area between the town and the Euphrates River, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) further east.

On Friday, Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi committed to withdrawing his U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday morning "towards redeployment in areas east of the Euphrates", based on "calls from friendly countries and mediators".

The defense ministry had welcomed Abdi's announcement, saying army troops would deploy in the areas after the SDF withdrew.

The Syrian army had urged civilians to flee the Deir Hafer area in recent days, with at least 4,000 people leaving according to Syrian authorities.

Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday issued a decree declaring Kurdish a "national language", in an apparent gesture of good will towards the minority after the recent violence.

Syria's Islamist-led authorities are seeking to extend control across the country following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

Progress on implementing a March deal to integrate the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration in the north into the state has stalled.

But al-Sharaa's announcement on Friday is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria's independence in 1946.

The decree stated Kurds were "an essential and integral part" of Syria, where they have suffered decades of marginalization and oppression under former rulers.

It makes Kurdish a "national language" that can be taught in public schools in areas where the minority community is heavily present.

Kurdish forces control swathes of Syria's oil-rich north and northeast, much of which they captured during the country's civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group over the past decade.