Clashes erupt near Aleppo between Syrian army, SDF

• Gunfire and shelling hit northern Aleppo, leaving injuries among fighters, civil defense members, and civilians.
• The violence follows fresh government criticism of the SDF over a stalled March integration agreement.

Clashes broke out near Aleppo, northern Syria, between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) amid sniper fire, heavy weapons use, and reports of civilian displacement, according to local and official sources.

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Fighting centered on the Sheikh Shihan and al-Layramoun roundabouts north of the city. 

Civil defense hit, civilians flee

The Syrian Civil Defense said two of its members were wounded by SDF fire near the Ashrafieh neighborhood.

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), reported that SDF forces used machine guns, RPGs, and mortar shells to target the vicinity of Ashrafieh and areas stretching from Sheikh Shihan to al-Layramoun. Dozens of families and factory workers were reported to have fled the al-Layramoun area as shelling intensified.

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The gunfire erupted in two areas near Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud, both under SDF control. Initial information indicates the attack originated inside the neighborhoods and targeted government troop positions, according to Al Jazeera.

Competing accounts of responsibility

The SDF said its fighters responded to an armed assault by government forces on an SDF checkpoint in Aleppo. The group’s media center reported two of its members wounded and said it holds the Syrian government "fully responsible for these attacks".

A correspondent for the Syria Now platform reported clashes between Internal Security Forces and the SDF in the al-Awarid area of Ashrafieh and near Sheikh Shihan roundabout, with five injuries recorded among civilians and civil defense personnel.

Roads closed after fighting

Al-Layramoun serves as a key junction linking northern Aleppo countryside to the city. The latest developments prompted authorities to seal off the area and halt civilian traffic.

SANA said the Gaziantep-Aleppo road was closed from the al-Layramoun and Sheikh Shihan roundabouts following the incident.

Political backdrop

This comes hours after Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Damascus hasn't seen serious intent from the SDF to implement a March 10 agreement. The deal calls for integrating all civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria into state bodies, including merging SDF forces into the Syrian army by the end of the year.

The agreement also stipulates restoring state control over border crossings, airports, and oil and gas fields, and facilitating the return of displaced residents under state protection.