Syria’s government announced a ceasefire at 3am local time after three days of intense clashes with Kurdish fighters in Aleppo. More than 140,000 people were displaced during the fighting, the worst in over six months. The ceasefire requires Kurdish militants to leave the contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid. They will get safe passage to Syria’s north-east, controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and can carry light weapons. However, the SDF has not confirmed agreement. Reuters reports the SDF’s internal security, Asayish, denied asking for safe passage and instead wants Syrian forces to withdraw. Residents said gunfire stopped overnight, as shown in videos from inside the neighbourhoods. Government forces shared footage of clearing operations and tunnel inspections used by the SDF to move fighters and arms. US envoy Tom Barrack welcomed the temporary truce, thanking both sides for their “restraint and goodwill” on X. Relations between Syria’s government and the SDF, which controls about a third of the country, are tense. A plan to integrate the SDF into Syria’s army stalled last year. Damascus calls the SDF separatist and a threat to unity. The SDF accuses the government of jihadism and fears for minorities’ safety. Aleppo’s Kurdish neighbourhoods have been a flashpoint, and recent clashes worsened divides. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said the fighting hurt chances for peace. The government said control must extend over all Syria and only the state can hold power to keep unity. Both sides accuse each other of war crimes. The SDF claims forced displacement and ethnic cleansing by Damascus. The government says the SDF used civilians as shields and shot at people using evacuation routes. The US backs the SDF and has tried to mediate talks with Damascus after President Bashar al-Assad’s fall last year. Turkey, a Syrian government ally, sees the SDF linked to the Kurdish PKK and says it can help if asked by Damascus. Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan called the SDF the biggest obstacle to Syrian peace. Syria’s government still wants full control over all its territory, including SDF-held areas.