DAMASCUS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Monday ordered a halt to attacks against positions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, as clashes had left civilians dead and triggered fresh displacement in parts of the northern city, according to official statements.

The Syrian defense authorities said the army's general command issued instructions to stop targeting SDF fire sources after a number of them were "neutralized," adding that efforts were made to narrow the scope of fighting and push clashes away from residential areas.

In a statement, the authorities said the army acted within its responsibility to protect civilians and defend them, stressing that it did not seek to alter lines of control and limited its actions to responding to incoming fire.

The move came after a sharp escalation earlier in the day. Syria's interior authorities said a child and his mother were killed, and 15 other civilians, most of them women and children, were wounded in Aleppo as a result of what was described as indiscriminate shelling and sniper fire by SDF forces.

The wounded were transferred to al-Razi Hospital and Aleppo University Hospital for treatment, the authorities said, adding that al-Razi Hospital itself came under direct shelling while casualties were arriving, forcing medical staff to continue providing emergency care under difficult conditions.

The emergency and disaster management authorities said two members of the Syrian Civil Defense were wounded by direct gunfire while carrying out their duties near al-Shihan roundabout in Aleppo. An ambulance vehicle was also targeted while transporting personnel.

The Syrian Civil Defense separately reported fires breaking out in the Jamiliyah and Sheikh Taha neighborhoods due to shelling and gunfire, noting that teams were deployed to extinguish the blazes despite ongoing security risks.

State news agency SANA reported that dozens of families fled their homes and moved toward the western parts of Aleppo to escape the violence, amid continued fear of further escalation.

Interior authorities spokesman Noureddin al-Baba said the clashes were not the first attempt to undermine the March 10 agreement between Damascus and the SDF. He accused SDF forces of withdrawing from joint checkpoints and opening fire on Syrian army positions, adding that what he described as a foreign-linked faction within the SDF was fueling tensions and targeting densely populated neighborhoods, including medical facilities.

The SDF, in a separate statement, gave a different account, saying two of its internal security members were wounded in what it described as an attack by factions linked to Syria's defense authorities on a checkpoint at al-Shihan roundabout. The SDF accused Damascus of being responsible for the escalation, stating that civilian injuries were caused by shelling and tank fire.

Despite the army's decision to halt fire, reports indicated that tensions remain high, with security forces reinforcing their presence in affected neighborhoods.

The fighting underscores the fragility of security in Aleppo and the challenges facing the implementation of the March agreement between Damascus and the SDF, which aims to integrate forces and stabilize northeastern Syria but has repeatedly come under strain amid flare-ups on the ground. ■