ALEPPO – On Sunday, residents began returning to a highly disputed neighborhood in Aleppo, located in northern Syria, following several days of intense conflict between government troops and Kurdish-led forces. First responders were on the scene to assist residents, clear debris, and defuse mines.

Violence erupted on Tuesday in the largely Kurdish areas of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh, and Bani Zaid. This was due to stalled negotiations between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the principal Kurdish-led faction, over integrating the SDF into the national military. Since then, security forces have seized control of Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The recent hostilities marked the fiercest exchange since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown by rebels in December 2024. In the span of five days, at least 23 lives were lost, and over 140,000 individuals were forced to flee due to relentless shelling and drone attacks.

Kurdish forces have retreated from Sheikh Maqsoud to northeastern Syria, a region under SDF control. Despite this retreat, they have issued a statement declaring their intent to continue the fight, now that injured individuals and civilians have been evacuated, referring to the situation as a “partial ceasefire.”

The neighborhood saw a return to calmness on Sunday.

Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.

The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.

On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.

Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.

“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”

Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.

Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.

“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.

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Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.