Cease-fire in Syria holding despite clashes between troops and rebels
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A SYRIAN cease-fire was holding yesterday despite minor violations, marking a potential breakthrough in a conflict that has been shredding high-level peace initiatives for over five years.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported clashes between troops and rebels in the central province of Hama and near the capital of Damascus early yesterday but said there have been no reports of civilian casualties since the truce, brokered by Russia and Turkey, began. The group also reported an aerial attack on the rebel-held Barda Valley near Damascus.
Opposition activist Mazen al-Shami, who is based in the Damascus suburb of Douma, said minor clashes nearby left one rebel wounded. Activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh, in southern Daraa province, said government forces had opened fire on rebel-held areas.
Several past attempts at halting the fighting have failed. As with previous agreements, the current cease-fire excludes both the al-Qaida-affiliated Fatah al-Sham Front and the Islamic State group.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the cease-fire will be guaranteed by both Moscow and Turkey, and the agreement has been welcomed by Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the cease-fire a “major achievement.” “Let’s build on it by tackling the roots of extremist terror,” he said.
The truce came on the heels of a Russian-Turkish agreement earlier this month to evacuate the last rebels from eastern Aleppo after they were confined to a tiny enclave by a government offensive. Recapturing the city marked Assad’s greatest victory since the start of the 2011 uprising against his family’s four-decade rule.
“The defeat of the terrorists in Aleppo is an important step toward ending the war,” Assad said in an interview with an Italian TV station, adding that the capture of the city did not mean the war has ended because “terrorists” are still in Syria.
The United States was left out of both agreements, reflecting the deterioration of relations between Moscow and Washington.
Assad said he was “more optimistic, with caution,” about the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested greater cooperation with Russia against extremist groups.
“We can say part of the optimism could be related to better relations between the United States and Russia,” Assad said.
“Mr Trump during his campaign (said) that his priority is fighting terrorism, and we believe that this is the beginning of the solution, if he can implement what he announced,” he said in the interview, apparently filmed before the cease-fire.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, meanwhile, quoted the military as saying Russia carried out three airstrikes against Islamic State targets near the northern town of al-Bab, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition forces have been battling the extremist group.
The military did not say when the airstrikes took place, but said they killed 12 IS militants.
Separately, 26 IS militants were killed in Turkish airstrikes on al-Bab and the Daglabash region, Anadolu said.
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