At least two killed in Aleppo clashes between Syrian army, Kurdish-led SDF

Al Jazeera:

At least two people have been killed after clashes broke out between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo ahead of a looming deadline to integrate the SDF into Syria’s state institutions.

A medical source told Al Jazeera that two civilians were killed and 11 others wounded after SDF forces opened fire on Syrian security force positions near the Sheihan and Lairmoun roundabouts in Aleppo on Monday.

Dozens of families and local workers were also seen fleeing the area amid the violence, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported.

“We’ve heard reports of heavy machine-gun fire, mortar shelling [and] families being displaced,” Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna reported from Damascus on Monday evening.

The Syrian Civil Defence said two of its rescuers were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in was fired upon by the SDF, while two children also suffered “various injuries” due to SDF gunfire at the Sheihan roundabout.

In a statement shared by SANA, Syria’s Ministry of Interior reported that two security personnel, including a soldier, were injured in what the ministry called a “treacherous” SDF attack against the country’s security forces.

“This evening, SDF forces stationed in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo committed a treacherous act against the Internal Security Forces stationed at joint checkpoints,” the ministry said.

The SDF had denied targeting civilian areas, accusing factions affiliated with the Syrian government of carrying out attacks – a claim rejected by Damascus.