Clashes broke out on Monday between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in Aleppo as senior Turkish officials visited Damascus, coinciding with a deadline for implementing a deal between the government and Kurdish-led forces in the country’s northeast.

State-run SANA reported that shelling killed two civilians and injured 15 others, prompting families to flee the northern city’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighbourhoods, which have previously seen similar violence.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led militia, reported one civilian death and 17 injuries, highlighting discrepancies in casualty figures that could not be immediately reconciled.

Later on Monday, the Syrian defence ministry issued a ceasefire order, which the SDF confirmed, citing “ongoing de-escalation efforts.”

The cause of the clashes remains unclear. Syria’s Civil Defense agency reported that two emergency responders were injured when SDF fighters opened fire on their vehicle.