ISTANBUL

The number of deaths from an attack carried out by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Aleppo on Monday rose to five, according to local authorities.

An official from Aleppo Health Directorate’s Media Office told the state-run Alikhbaria TV that nine people were also injured in the attack that targeted residential neighborhoods in the city.

SDF fighters late Monday targeted a checkpoint between the Shayhan and al-Layramoun roundabouts, as well as the al-Razi Hospital, with machine-gun fire and mortar shells.

The Syrian Defense Ministry said several members of the group were neutralized after the attack.

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 say that 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 last December, after 24 years in power.