The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prevented civilians from exiting Deir Hafer and Maskana east of Aleppo through a humanitarian corridor announced by the Syrian government on January 15, citing mine threats, leaving the corridor empty over the past hour ending at 10:15 AM UTC, according to monitor QalaatAlMudiq on X. QalaatAlMudiq reported the corridor remained empty this morning as SDF blocked residents from leaving via the crossing announced today by the Syrian government. This follows a similar SDF prevention of civilian exits from Deir Hafer earlier on January 15, as stated by the Deir Hafer District Administration and reported by ivarmm on X before 8:15 AM UTC. In portions of an interview with Erbil-based Shams TV released by Syria's Al-Ikhbariyah channel this morning, President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated, “The March Agreement stipulates a unified Syria without federalism. Even the President of the Republic cannot grant geographical territories as gifts or in response to personal desires,” according to X user MohammedASalih. Al-Sharaa also affirmed Kurdish rights are protected in the constitution and that Kurds are an integral part of Syrian society during the interview focused on the Kurdish issue, as relayed by MohammedASalih. A claim that the Washington Post quoted U.S. President Donald Trump on withdrawing forces from Syria and halting SDF support was debunked as fabricated by Verify Syria, with no relevant results from keyword searches or statements by Trump, according to VeSyria on X. This occurs amid Kurdish residents returning to Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood after PKK militia expulsion earlier on January 15, as previously reported.
