Syrian forces have pushed Kurdish fighters out of several cities and villages in the Aleppo region after Kurdish leaders said they were withdrawing.

This comes after Syria's government announced its first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since 1946.

The Kurdish region remains a major obstacle to President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s consolidation of control over Syria.

Syria's army took control of swathes of the country's north on Saturday, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade.The government appeared to be extending its grip on parts of the country under Kurdish control a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a "national language" and granting the minority group official recognition.

The Syrian government on Saturday said its troops have taken control of several key towns near the northern city of Aleppo from Kurdish-led forces under a withdrawal agreement that each side accused the other of violating.

Deir Hafer The leader of Kurdish-led forces in Syria announced Friday that they will withdraw from a contested area in northern Syria, potentially heading off a major clash with government forces. The announcement by Mazloum Abdi,

Syrian troops swept through towns in the country's north on Saturday after an agreed withdrawal by Kurdish fighters there, but clashes erupted when the army kept

Clashes were reported in other parts of northern Syria as government forces pushed east. Meanwhile, troops made their way into the town of Deir Hafer. The two towns changed hands after deadly fighting erupted earlier this month between government troops and the U.