Russian and US officials met in Geneva on Monday and the International Syria Support Group – the countries backing the Syria peace process – were scheduled to meet on Tuesday in NY to assess the ceasefire agreement.
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Earlier on Monday, the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that an interagency aid convoy crossed the conflict line in the Big Orem area of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
The Russian military says that militants from al Qaeda’s branch in Syria are attacking government positions in Aleppo.
But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were once again on the back foot near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, where they have been battling Islamic State group jihadists since past year.
It said rebel groups, which it referred to as “terrorists”, had failed to commit to any provisions of the truce deal.
“From 6 o’clock (1500 GMT) until now, the bombardment is heavy, using all kinds of weapons in Aleppo”, he told Reuters.
The UN’s aid chief, Stephen O’Brien, said on Monday that he was “pained and disappointed” that a 20-lorry aid convoy destined for eastern Aleppo was still stuck on the border with Turkey because it had not received necessary permissions and safety guarantees from the Syrian government.
A US official said the USA military believed reports that about 60 Syrian troops were killed.
They say the raid was halted immediately when information came from Russian Federation that the Syrian military had been hit.
In turn, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the truce was agreed between Moscow and Washington and its developments should therefore be discussed between the respective countries.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights did not immediately report any casualties in the raids on the Orum al-Kubra area west of Aleppo city.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due on Wednesday to attend a special Security Council meeting on Syria, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in NY. The main road into the city remains held by rebel forces, who say they will pull back when the Syrian army does.
The strike on the Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzor on Saturday revealed just how little trust remains between the two sides.
A significant reduction of violence for one week, accompanied by the delivery of aid, was to clear the way for the USA and Russian militaries coordinating separate airstrikes against the jihadist Nusra front, as well as the so-called Islamic State group. There was no immediate comment from the government.
Despite the setback, the State Department said it was prepared to extend the cease-fire window in the hopes that if it held, the USA and Russian Federation could then turn to their planned military co-operation against the Islamic State militants and al-Qaida-linked groups in Syria.
“This step (cease-fire) was to constitute a real chance to stop the bloodshed”.
A halt to fighting around Aleppo and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid were key components of the truce deal.
“It is now clear that the regime and Russian Federation from the first day were not committed to the ceasefire”, said Yasser Alyousef, a spokesman for the opposition’s Nour al-Din al-Zinki brigades.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its concern over the USA air raids and demanded, what they described as, their American partners to conduct a full investigation and consider strict measures to avoid the recurrence of such an event.
Russia’s military has said that it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 Syrian soldiers were killed in the Deir el-Zour air raid and more than 100 wounded.
Officials said the strikes killed more than 60 soldiers.
United Nations aid chief Stephen O’Brien said he was “deeply concerned” by the incident and called on “all parties to the conflict, once again, to take all necessary measures to protect humanitarian actors, civilians, and civilian infrastructure as required by worldwide humanitarian law”.
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On Sunday, the Islamic State said it shot down a Syrian warplane near the city.
