• SDF shelling hits hospital in Aleppo, ignites fires in residential neighborhoods

ISTANBUL

Three civilians were killed and several people injured, including children, security forces, and civil defense workers, by fire from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Aleppo on Monday, in an attack that prompted dozens of families and factory workers to flee the area, Syrian authorities said.

SDF fighters targeted a checkpoint between the Shayhan and al-Layramoun roundabouts with machine-gun fire and mortar shells, forcing residents and workers to leave the surroundings of the al-Layramoun neighborhood, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

A civilian was killed after SDF forces shelled multiple neighborhoods in Aleppo with mortars and rockets, the agency added.

SDF shelling also struck al-Razi Hospital in the city, SANA reported without immediately providing details on casualties or damage.

The outlet said two children suffered various injuries from gunfire near the Shayhan roundabout in Aleppo. It also reported fires breaking out in the Jamiliyah and Sheikh Taha neighborhoods as a result of SDF shelling and gunfire.

The Syrian Civil Defense said that a child and a woman were also killed and a young girl was wounded when SDF forces shelled a residential home in the Jamiliyah neighborhood.

The agency also reported that two of its members were wounded by SDF gunfire near the al-Ashrafieh neighborhood.

The Interior Ministry said the number of people wounded in the SDF attack in Aleppo rose to 15 people.

The ministry said SDF forces stationed in Sheikh Maqsoud and al-Ashrafieh neighborhoods carried out “a surprise attack” on Internal Security Forces manning joint checkpoints after an abrupt withdrawal, opening fire despite existing agreements.

The Syrian Defense Ministry said the army issued orders to halt strikes on SDF fire sources after neutralizing several members and narrowing the scope of clashes away from residential areas, according to SANA.

“The Syrian Arab Army acted within its responsibility to protect civilians and defend them, without seeking to change the lines of control, and limited its actions to responding to sources of fire,” the ministry said.

The ministry’s media and communications office earlier told SANA that SDF forces launched a sudden attack on positions of the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian army around al-Ashrafieh.

The office said Syrian army units responded to the source of fire, accusing SDF fighters of targeting civilian homes, residents and army and security positions around the al-Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.

The state-run Alikhbariya TV said the attack had led to the closure of the Aleppo–Gaziantep Road in the area.

The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.

On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement for the SDF’s integration into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.

Syrian authorities said in the months since, the SDF has not shown any efforts to meet the terms of the agreement.

The Syrian government has been intensifying security efforts since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime after 24 years in power.