[6] Separated from the larger Kurdish regions of Syria, Sheikh Maqsood had been vulnerable to assaults by the Al-Nusra Front and other Islamist rebel groups[7][8] which were besieging the district from all directions but the south and west until they were driven back by pro-government forces in 2016.

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman accused rebels of causing 1,000 civilian deaths and injuries, through their shelling of Sheikh Maqsood.

[14][15] On 22 February 2018, it was reported that the YPG had agreed to hand over the eastern districts of the city of Aleppo to the Syrian government.

According to Syrian state television, this decision was made to reinforce positions around the region of Afrin, and to halt Turkey's offensive.

[20] In January 2025, the neighborhood witnessed scenes of protest including that of the local Kurdish and Arab population demanding the immediate withdrawal of the SDF group[21][22] This article about a location in Aleppo Governorate, Syria is a stub.