Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

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Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday that its security teams had dismantled explosive devices allegedly planted by the YPG/SDF inside civilian homes and along streets in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood of Aleppo.

In a statement, the ministry said specialised units conducting security sweeps in the area neutralised several explosive materials described as “prepared for terrorist use”. These included a vehicle rigged with mortar shells and a large number of suicide drones discovered inside residential properties.

The teams also dismantled improvised explosive devices planted inside houses and on street edges, the statement said. During field operations, security personnel detected a booby-trapped rocket, which was handled and disposed of in accordance with approved technical procedures.

According to the ministry, the explosives and suicide drones were transferred to secure locations, while the booby-trapped rocket was detonated under direct supervision without causing casualties or material damage.

The announcement follows days of heightened violence in Aleppo. Since Tuesday, the SDF has shelled residential areas, civilian facilities and Syrian Army positions, killing at least 24 people, injuring nearly 130 and displacing around 165,000 residents from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud districts, according to official figures.

In March 2025, Syria’s presidency announced an agreement for the integration of the SDF into state institutions, reaffirming the country’s territorial unity and rejecting any form of division. This was followed in April by a separate agreement covering the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods, recognising them as administrative parts of Aleppo while respecting their local particularities.

The agreement included provisions banning armed activity in the districts, limiting weapons to internal security forces, and requiring SDF military units to withdraw to areas east of the Euphrates in northeastern Syria.

However, Syrian authorities say the SDF has failed to comply with the terms of the agreements in the months since.

The Syrian government has intensified security operations nationwide following the ousting of the Assad regime in December 2024, ending more than two decades of rule.