Early reports show some reduction of violence in Syria since a cessation of hostilities brokered by the United States and Russian Federation came into effect on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.
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Residents and observers reported quiet in most of the country, although activists said that there were airstrikes on contested areas around Aleppo.
The commander of a Free Syrian Army (FSA) group in northern Syria said Government warplanes had been bombing “like crazy” on Monday, hitting one of his bases.
Once U.S. -Russian military cooperation is established, Kirby said, the focus would be to “coordinate military action between the U.S. and Russia, not for any other party”.
Under the terms of the agreement, the rebels and the Syrian government are expected to stop attacking one another.
Rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad issued a joint statement listing deep reservations with the agreement they described as unjust, echoing concerns outlined in a letter to the United States on Sunday.
The cease-fire comes a day after the start of the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday.
He cited a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which said major conflict zones in Syria were calm after a ceasefire took effect at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Monday.
Although Mr Assad backs Russian Federation and the US’s ceasefire, there have been mixed messages of committment from various rebel groups.
The United States has said the deal includes agreement that the government will not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the former Nusra Front.
Mr. Assad used the hours ahead of the cease-fires scheduled start to promise victory in his countrys five-year-old civil war, punctuating his pledge by visiting a Damascus suburb that rebels surrendered last month. Three weeks ago, Daraya was in opposition hands.
The loss of Daraya, which once symbolized rebel defiance in the face of encirclement and relentless bombing attacks, reflected Assad’s strengthened position in the conflict since Russian Federation intervened to help him a year ago.
But the most powerful rebel groups have shown deep misgivings over the cease-fire deal, which was crafted without their input last weekend in Geneva between the top US and Russian diplomats.
The agreement contains many caveats and unenforceable provisions.
“Assad is not supposed to be bombing the opposition, because there is a cease-fire”, Kerry told journalists at the State Department.
The cease-fire formally went into effect Monday with Russian Federation announcing a halt to its aerial campaign in Syria, excluding “terrorist-controlled” areas.
That scenario would give “more power to certain players and [help] forge new alliances, as we’ve already seen with the Americans and the Kurds, and the growing cooperation between Washington and Moscow”, Lund said.
But, he added, well see..
Western political analysts said that even if the accord reduces the killing in Syria, where an estimated half-million people have died since the conflict began in 2011, the prognosis for peace and reconciliation is unclear.
This accord may well save lives, and its a gain if for that reason only, Cliff Kupchan, the chairman of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm in Washington, said in an email.
Mr. Assad said nothing about the agreement in his appearance in Daraya reported by Syrian news media, which showed him praying at a mosque, walking past bombed buildings and driving his own silver sport utility vehicle.
“The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists”, Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media, flanked by his delegation at an otherwise deserted road junction.
Previous cease-fires were also preceded by soaring violence as parties on all sides sought to improve their positions in the build-up.
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Monitoring groups estimate at least 91 people have been killed since the truce was announced, and scores more injured – including children.
