DAMASCUS, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Nineteen civilians and nine fighters were killed in May in conflict and violence in Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, a war monitor reported on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll reflects the state of lawlessness and chaos in areas controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and allied U.S.-backed militias in northern Syria.

It added that there were 25 cases of tribal infighting and murders, and 11 protests against the "catastrophic" living conditions in that region in May.

The UK-based watchdog group said the month also witnessed an exchange of fire between Turkish forces and the Kurdish militias, and nine Islamic State (IS) attacks retaliated by 15 security operations from the SDF.

The observatory said people in the Kurdish-controlled areas are angered by the closure of crossings by the SDF with government-controlled areas.

Also, a state of dismay is also on the rise as a result of forceful children's recruitment in military formations, it added.

The Syrian government has repeatedly urged the Kurdish-led militias to stop betting on the support of the U.S. forces to bring peace to the areas in northern Syria.