Clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least seven people on Tuesday, mostly civilians, with both sides trading blame over who started the fighting, AFP reports.

The implementation of a March deal to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria's new Islamist government has stalled, and tensions occasionally erupt into clashes, particularly in Aleppo, which has two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods. Turkey, a close ally of Syria's new authorities and which sees Kurdish forces on its border as a security threat, demanded Tuesday that all Kurdish armed groups—"including in Syria"—lay down their weapons.

Amid the clashes, Syrian authorities have suspended flights to and from Aleppo airport. Civil aviation officials announced a 24-hour suspension of flights to and from Aleppo airport and their redirection to Damascus airport, the state-run SANA news agency reports. According to media reports, this violence is among the deadliest between the government and Kurdish forces since the toppling of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad more than a year ago, and adds to concerns about progress on the integration deal.