Syrian truce fragile after 9 violations in 24 hours
Print Edition
RUSSIA said yesterday that a fragile cease-fire in Syria had been breached nine times over the past 24 hours including by Turkey, but insisted the deal was mostly holding.
The defense ministry said violations were committed by rebels and terrorist groups.
“Over the past 24 hours, nine instances of violations of cessation of hostilities have been uncovered,” the ministry said, citing its coordination center at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria.
“On the whole, the cease-fire regime in Syria is being implemented,” it said of the deal brokered by Moscow and Washington that took effect at 2200GMT on Friday.
“At the same time there are a number of violations by groups of ‘moderate’ opposition and units of international terrorist organizations.”
The ministry highlighted an attack on the town of Tal Abyad on the border with Turkey.
A group of up to 100 fighters from the Islamic State stronghold of Raqa, who crossed the border from Turkey, mounted an attack on the northern part of the Tal Abyad, it said, adding they were acting in unison with other fighters.
The activities of the armed groups were “supported by artillery fire from Turkish territory,” the chief of the coordination center, Lieutenant General Sergei Kuralenko, said in televised remarks.
“Kurdish rebel units had pushed the fighters out of the city by (Sunday) morning.”
Moscow said it has demanded an explanation from the United States, which leads an anti-IS coalition that includes Turkey.
Turkey said it is not bound by the cease-fire deal if its national security is threatened.
The Tal Abyad attack was “confirmed through several channels including representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces,” Kuralenko was quoted as saying by Russian reporters, referring to a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Kurdish forces and their Arab allies pushed back a fierce IS offensive with backing from the US-led coalition.
In Latakia, Al-Nusra Front jihadists, acting from territory controlled by moderate rebels, shelled a unit of Desert Falcons, the Russian ministry said.
“As a result of the shelling, there are a lot of dead and wounded,” the ministry said.
Russia also said Damascus was shelled six times on Saturday, adding that the attack came from territory held by moderate rebels.
“At the request of the Russian center for reconciliation, Syrian government troops did not return fire,” it said.
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