ALEPPO, Syria: Syrian security forces began deploying Saturday (Jan 10) in a neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo after days of intense clashes with Kurdish fighters that killed and wounded dozens.

Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that two Kurdish fighters blew themselves up while surrounded by security forces without inflicting casualties, as gunfire was still heard in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud around noon Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon, an explosive drone hit the Aleppo Governorate building shortly after two Cabinet ministers and a local official held a news conference on the developments in the city, state TV said. There was no immediate word on casualties.

Syria’s state TV aired the footage, which allegedly showed the drone exploding in the building, and blamed Kurdish fighters for the attack. The main Kurdish-led force in the country denied the reports, saying its fighters did not attack a civilian target.

From the early hours, Syrian security forces were sweeping the neighbourhood after calling on residents to stay home for their own safety.

Hundreds of people who fled the neighbourhood days earlier were waiting at Sheikh Maqsoud’s entrances to be allowed in once the military operations are over.

Clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish northern neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge their forces into the national army. Security forces have since captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The five days of fighting killed at least 22 people. Kurdish forces said at least 12 ci...