SHOTLIST:

MASKANAH, ALEPPO, SYRIA (JAN. 17, 2026) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS CROWD OF SYRIANS CELEBRATING WHILE MILITARY VEHICLES MOVING ON ROAD MASKANAH, ALEPPO, SYRIA - JAN. 17, 2026: Residents in the inner neighborhoods of Maskanah gathered in the streets Saturday, Jan. 17, to celebrate the arrival of Syrian army units following the withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Syrian Army took control of the town of Maskanah, east of Aleppo, as part of a military operation launched west of the Euphrates River on Saturday, Jan. 17.

The army entered the town after the withdrawal of the terrorist group YPG/SDG from the area and was welcomed enthusiastically by local residents in Maskanah’s inner neighborhoods.

The Syrian Army on Saturday said the YPG/SDF terror group attacked one of its patrols near the city of Maskanah in eastern Aleppo, killing two soldiers and wounding others.

“Forces of the SDF organization violated the agreement and carried out an attack targeting a patrol of the Syrian Arab Army near the city of Maskanah, leading to the martyrdom of two soldiers and the injury of others,” the Operations Command of the Syrian Army told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

This attack came after the Syrian Army announced that it had taken full control of the cities of Deir Hafir and Maskanah east of Aleppo, following the withdrawal of the YPG/SDF terror group toward the east of the Euphrates.

The Operations Command told SANA that PKK terror group members "are deployed in a number of villages and towns west of the Euphrates, obstructing the implementation of the agreement and targeting Syrian Army forces.”

The command also said the army will continue establishing control over areas west of the Euphrates and will respond to any targeting of its forces.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry's Media and Communication Directorate told SANA that the “SDF opened fire on correspondents of the Syrian Arab News Agency and military media personnel near the town of Dibsi Afnan in the Raqqa countryside.”

In March 2025, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement for the terrorist organization YPG/SDF's integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country’s territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.