Syria ceasefire in effect – looks fragile already
An injured Syrian boy at a make–shift hospital in Douma after government air strikes just hours before the ceasefire was to begin. Photo: Abd Doumany/AFP/Getty
A nationwide ceasefire in Syria brokered by the United States and Russia has come into effect, the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year-long civil war.
Neither the Syrian government or the constellation of rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad have publicly declared they would respect the ceasefire, but sources on both sides have indicated they will.
Syrian children play in the rebel–held town of Douma on the first day of the ceasefire. Photo: Sameer Al–Doumy/AFP/Getty
Russia, which said the “cessation of hostilities” was to start at 1600 GMT, (2am AEST), is a major backer of Assad, while the United States supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him, as does Turkey, which has stated its support for the agreement.
The agreement’s initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint US-Russian targeting of jihadist groups, which are not covered by the agreement.
These include Islamic State and al Qaeda’s former Syria branch, known as the Nusra Front until it changed its name and cut ties to al Qaeda in July.
Aid Agencies are preparing to move food and medical supplies into the besieged city of Aleppo.
But just hours before the ceasefire was set to begin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave a defiant message to the country’s opposition forces, vowing “to retake every piece of land from the terrorists.”
Syrian American Council board member Kenan Rahmani reported two violations within two hours of sunset, when the ceasefire should have started.
https://twitter.com/KenanRahmani/status/775376339360739328
And at least six people were killed and 15 injured in air strikes carried out by unidentified warplanes against a village in northern Syria, hours before the ceasefire was due to come into effect.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said bombings targeted the town of Maarrat al-Nu’man in the northwestern province of Idlib, a region under control of the rebel militia known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front).
– with agencies
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