US urges SDF pullback from eastern Aleppo, say sources

The United States has asked the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to withdraw their remaining fighters from parts of the eastern Aleppo countryside, but the Kurdish-led group has rejected the request. This comes amid escalating shelling between Syrian government forces and the SDF near Dayr Hafir, the SDF's last foothold on the western bank of the Euphrates River. The tensions follow a Syrian government operation to expel SDF-linked units from Aleppo neighborhoods, which sources claim had a green light from Washington. These events are straining relations and complicating a prior agreement to integrate SDF forces into the Syrian military.