ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – At least five people were killed on Tuesday in renewed clashes between Damascus-affiliated fighters and Kurdish-led forces in Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, with both sides trading blame over the fighting. 

Syria’s state-owned SANA news agency blamed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for the death of “one member of the Syrian Arab Army,” claiming the SDF targeted the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood with drones. 

State broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported an “extensive deployment of security forces” in Aleppo, allegedly to “prevent SDF drones from throwing bombs on residential neighborhoods,” saying two civilians were killed in the shelling. 

But the SDF blamed Damascus-affiliated factions for the clashes, saying they carried out “artillery and missile shelling” of the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, killing at least two civilians, including a 41-year-old woman. 

The SDF further blasted the Syrian government for carrying out “indiscriminate attacks targeting residential areas.” 

The attacks come after the Damascus-linked factions’ “indiscriminate shelling” in Aleppo’s Deir Hafer area the previous night, according to an SDF statement.

The defense ministry said the Monday attack was in response to an alleged SDF drone strike on their positions earlier, a claim denied by the Kurdish-led force as a pretext to inflame tensions.

The escalations follow a high-level meeting on Sunday between an SDF delegation headed by the forces’ chief Mazloum Abdi and officials in Damascus, discussing the implementation of the March 10 agreement concerned with the integration of Kurdish-led units in the country into the Syrian army.

While the Kurdish side asserted that the meeting was held in a “professional and responsible” manner, ensuring “well-considered results,” Syrian sources told state media that it did not lead to any “tangible results.”

The implementation of the agreement has been stalled due to the Kurdish side demanding a democratic integration while Damascus maintains its centralized stance, with frequent clashes between the two sides further escalating tensions.

Armed altercations between the Kurdish-led security forces (Asayish) and Syrian forces have been particularly reported in Aleppo’s two main Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, with the forces repeatedly trading blame for the attacks.

The clashes build on political tensions between Damascus and the SDF over failures to complete the integration agreement.