Egypt welcomes Syrian truce brokered by US, Russia

“Given the experience of a few months ago, the ceasefire must be sustainable. and must not be exploited as an opportunity for terrorist groups to revive their power and transfer fighters and weapons”, he added, referring to a truce that collapsed earlier this year.

In the past, several cease-fires were brokered-all which failed to hold. Dozens of people were killed and injured in the attack.

With Iran’s endorsement, the agreement is now backed by Assad and all key allies of the Syrian government: Moscow, Tehran, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Under the deal, if the cease-fire holds for seven days, Russian Federation and the USA will coordinate military strikes against the al-Qaida wing in Syria, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front.

The deal hammered out between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva Saturday allows the Syrian government to continue to strike at al-Qaida-linked militants, until the U.S. and Russia take over the task in one week’s time.

In Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed in a series of bombings, including one on a vegetable market, with 13 children among the dead.

In a letter to armed opposition groups seen by Reuters, Ratney urged them to abide by the U.S. Syria’s conflict, now in its sixth year, has continued despite several rounds of peace talks and global attempts to try to end the violence.

Citing “informed sources”, it said “the entire agreement was reached with the knowledge of the Syrian government”.

About 2,200 people, including some 700 civilians, have been killed there since July, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence in Syria. In the immediate stage, the call to halt hostilities between Syrian troops and rebel forces will be tested along Aleppo’s Costello Road, a main supply route, and elsewhere.

“We are closely following this agreement and are waiting for its details to know the conditions of its implementation”, Kodmani said by telephone.

If the truce holds from Monday, Russia and the United States will begin seven days of preparatory work to set up a “joint implementation center”, where they will share information to distinguish territory controlled by Nusra from that held by other rebel groups.

The U.S. on Saturday warned insurgents they would face “dire consequences” if they cooperate with Jabhet Fatah al-Sham, which fought alongside a range of mainstream and Islamist terror groups during intense battles in recent weeks in southern Aleppo.

“We have holy warriors who will burn the ground”, the official said.