Fragile peace treaty survives in Syria

Girls who survived what activists said was a ground-to-ground missile attack by forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, hold hands at Aleppo's Bab al-Hadeed district in  April 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
Girls who survived what activists said was a ground-to-ground missile attack by forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, hold hands at Aleppo's Bab al-Hadeed district in April 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

A treaty brokered between the United States and Russia to cease hostilities in Syria appears to be holding despite more deaths over the weekend.

The five year war against President Bashar al-Assad has seen more than 250,000 killed and millions forced from their homes.

A cessation of hostilities was agreed as part of a US-Russian plan at the end of last week. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone on Saturday welcoming the ceasefire.

Russia says that in general it is holding despite claims it had attacked several sites in northern Syria.

The truce involves Syrian government and rebel forces, but not the Islamic State group (IS) or the Nusra Front. An attack on either of these groups would not count as a breach.

Humanitarian agencies are hoping use the truce to deliver aid to besieged areas of the country.

 

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