Syrian government troops appear to have violated a nationwide truce that went into effect at midnight by launching attacks on two towns near Damascus that are close to the city’s water supply. Let’s face it, the United States intervention in Syria has been muddled to say the least.
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The ceasefire, due to start last night from midnight local time (10pm GMT), followed talks between Turkey and Russian Federation and could potentially lead to a lasting political agreement.
Mamoun al-Haj-Mousa, a member of the Free Syrian Army’s political council said, “We saw recently how Aleppo was annihilated because of 200 fighters from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham”. The deal was reportedly negotiated between Assad’s government, Russia, Iran and Turkey, and comes days after Russia and Turkey had brokered an agreement for the evacuation of thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from eastern Aleppo. The deal does not include the Kurdish groups that control swaths of territory in the north, or certain Islamist groups, including the Islamic State (ISIS), which holds patches of land throughout the country.
The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks next month in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, under the aegis of Russian Federation and Iran, both Syrian government supporters, and of pro-opposition Turkey.
Mr Putin said Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian Government had signed a number of documents, including the midnight ceasefire agreement.
Syria’s opposition however have said they understood the truce to apply to all of Syria, including areas where Fateh al-Sham is present.
Two other nationwide truces, in February and September, were brokered by Russian Federation and the U.S. but Washington now appears to have been sidelined from the process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would now reduce Moscow’s military contingent in Syria, which has been fighting on behalf of the government since previous year.
If it holds, the truce between the Syrian government and the country’s mainstream rebel forces will be followed by peace talks in Kazakhstan next month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday as he announced the agreement.
Assad says he is “more optimistic” that peace may be possible once President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. The United States, which has long championed the stuttering diplomatic process on resolving the Syrian conflict, is nowhere to be seen.
Furthering the fragility of the agreement, Turkey demanded Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group that the USA considers a terrorist organization, evacuate Syria. Beyond that, circumstances have changed drastically in the past weeks: Assad and his allies’ bombardment – and eventual recapture of – Aleppo dealt a decisive blow to the already depleted and fractured Syrian opposition.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister said that the cease-fire was not forced on the Syrian government.
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Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy for Syria, welcomed the agreement and said he hopes it will pave the way for “productive” talks between the parties.
