The Syrian cease-fire appears near collapse after scores of Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were killed in a United States-led coalition air strike on Saturday. 
 
One of the key tenets of the Syrian &quot;cessation of hostilities&quot; brokered by Washington and Moscow was to freeze all attacks on forces allied to either camps. 
 
But the latest air strike, which killed at least 62 soldiers of the Syrian regime at&nbsp;Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport, has jeopardised the truce signed by the US and Russia.&nbsp; 
 
Moscow called for an emergency UN security meeting with the US but that ended abruptly. 
 
While Washington dubbed Moscow&#39;s request for the meeting as a &quot;stunt&quot;, Russia said the US was violating the peace agreements.&nbsp; 
 
The US, however, has apologised for the Saturday strike, saying they had intended to attack &quot;Daesh (IS) fighting position&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The Pentagon said coalition forces &quot;would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit&quot;. 
 
But the latest development has got Moscow &quot;deeply worried&quot; about the continuation of the peace deal signed earlier this week.&nbsp; 
 
The Syria cease-fire was signed by US and Russia on September 12, halting months of deadly violence in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The actions of the pilots &mdash;&nbsp;if they, as we hope, were not taken on orders from Washington &mdash;&nbsp;fall between criminal negligence and direct pandering to IS terrorists,&quot; a statement from the Russian foreign ministry said, AFP reported. 
 
Russia is also worried about US&#39; inability to get all factions of Syrian rebels give their full backing to the cease-fire.&nbsp; 
 
The US-allied Syrian rebels have agreed to &quot;cooperate positively&quot; to the peace deal but they have voiced their concerns about its long-term efficacy.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, government forces which are supported by Russia have launched a fresh offensive against Islamic State in the key airbase of Deir Ezzor, AFP quoted unnamed military sources as saying. 
 
The Syrian government said the offensive was necessary as the truce has given IS time to recover and plan its next strikes. 
 
The airbase is crucial as IS is using it to bomb Syrian army aircraft. On Sunday, IS claimed to have struck a Syrian plane close to Deir Ezzor, killing one pilot.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

Washington's 'unintentional' bombing of a Syrian army position has got Moscow 'deeply worried' about the efficacy of the peace deal

The Syrian cease-fire appears near collapse after scores of Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were killed in a United States-led coalition air strike on Saturday. One of the key tenets of the Syrian "cessation of hostilities" brokered by Washington and Moscow was to freeze all attacks on forces allied to either camps. But the latest air strike, which killed at least 62 soldiers of the Syrian regime at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport, has jeopardised the truce signed by the US and Russia. Moscow called for an emergency UN security meeting with the US but that ended abruptly. While Washington dubbed Moscow's request for the meeting as a "stunt", Russia said the US was violating the peace agreements. The US, however, has apologised for the Saturday strike, saying they had intended to attack "Daesh (IS) fighting position". The Pentagon said coalition forces "would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit". But the latest development has got Moscow "deeply worried" about the continuation of the peace deal signed earlier this week. The Syria cease-fire was signed by US and Russia on September 12, halting months of deadly violence in Syria. "The actions of the pilots — if they, as we hope, were not taken on orders from Washington — fall between criminal negligence and direct pandering to IS terrorists," a statement from the Russian foreign ministry said, AFP reported. Russia is also worried about US' inability to get all factions of Syrian rebels give their full backing to the cease-fire. The US-allied Syrian rebels have agreed to "cooperate positively" to the peace deal but they have voiced their concerns about its long-term efficacy. Meanwhile, government forces which are supported by Russia have launched a fresh offensive against Islamic State in the key airbase of Deir Ezzor, AFP quoted unnamed military sources as saying. The Syrian government said the offensive was necessary as the truce has given IS time to recover and plan its next strikes. The airbase is crucial as IS is using it to bomb Syrian army aircraft. On Sunday, IS claimed to have struck a Syrian plane close to Deir Ezzor, killing one pilot. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria truce frays after US-led air strike kills soldiers

As the world leaders gather at United Nations (UN) next week to attend the 71st General Assembly&#39;s high-level meet, Syria war would remain the talking point with the United States and Russia trying to shore up a fragile truce deal, Reuters reported today.&nbsp; 
 
US President Obama, who is likely to push for a boost in global refugee aid in the coming week, would be among the 135 heads &nbsp;of state attending the General Assembly.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;While many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in Syria,&quot; &nbsp;UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016 after a decade in the job, told reporters on Wednesday.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution.&quot; 
 
About 5 million Syrians have fled the country, and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the conflict that has spanned for more than five years, according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
Differences crop up&nbsp; 
 
At the high-level meet, &nbsp;Russia had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United States. However, on Friday, it said a resolution was unlikely because &quot;Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the &nbsp;Syria ceasefire agreement with the 15-member UN security council.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
The ceasefire outlined a joint agreement, signed by the US secretary of state John Kerry and his foreign counterpart Sergey Lavrov on September 9, aims at halting the fight in Syria. 
 
Disagreements over the joint deal between the two countries led to an abrupt cancellation of a council meeting that was supposed to happen on Friday. 
 
Russia, Syria&#39;s main ally, had been pushing for a resolution to endorse the agreement, but the United States has been reluctant to release the details of the agreement, citing security concerns for some US-backed groups fighting in Syria. &nbsp; 
 
&quot;Most likely we are not going to have a resolution at the Security Council because the United States does not want to share those documents with the members of the Security Council,&quot; Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. 
 
Churkin said he had presented two separate draft resolutions endorsing the deal, but said the American side had tried to introduce changes. 
 
&quot;They in their typical way came up with a completely different thing -- which is trying to interpret and re-interpret the agreement,&quot; he said adding that &ldquo;they are not doing the right thing&rdquo;. 
 
More Syria meetings next week&nbsp; 
 
John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will attend a special council meeting on Syria on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. 
 
&quot;We believe the Security Council can play an important role in the resolution of the crisis in Syria,&quot; the US spokesman said. 
 
&quot;However, right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement brokered by Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need.&quot; 
 
Obama expresses concern over deal&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama on Friday voiced &quot;deep concern&quot; that key elements of a Syria ceasefire are not being upheld. 
 
The White House has said that despite decreased violence across the war-ravaged country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid.&nbsp; 
 
Obama reportedly told aides that the next steps in the deal, closer military coordination with Russia, &nbsp;will require &quot;seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access.&quot; 
 
Some within the Pentagon have expressed deep reservations about the agreement forcing Obama to referee disputes. 
 
White House has repeatedly argued that the ceasefire will offer the desperately needed respite from a brutal five-year civil war that has killed 300,000 people. 
 
It says that talks are the only way the Syrian war will come to an end. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters, AFP) 
 
 
&nbsp;

About 5 million Syrians have fled the country and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the five-year conflict

As the world leaders gather at United Nations (UN) next week to attend the 71st General Assembly's high-level meet, Syria war would remain the talking point with the United States and Russia trying to shore up a fragile truce deal, Reuters reported today. US President Obama, who is likely to push for a boost in global refugee aid in the coming week, would be among the 135 heads of state attending the General Assembly. "While many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in Syria," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016 after a decade in the job, told reporters on Wednesday. "Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution." About 5 million Syrians have fled the country, and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the conflict that has spanned for more than five years, according to Reuters. Differences crop up At the high-level meet, Russia had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United States. However, on Friday, it said a resolution was unlikely because "Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the Syria ceasefire agreement with the 15-member UN security council." The ceasefire outlined a joint agreement, signed by the US secretary of state John Kerry and his foreign counterpart Sergey Lavrov on September 9, aims at halting the fight in Syria. Disagreements over the joint deal between the two countries led to an abrupt cancellation of a council meeting that was supposed to happen on Friday. Russia, Syria's main ally, had been pushing for a resolution to endorse the agreement, but the United States has been reluctant to release the details of the agreement, citing security concerns for some US-backed groups fighting in Syria. "Most likely we are not going to have a resolution at the Security Council because the United States does not want to share those documents with the members of the Security Council," Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. Churkin said he had presented two separate draft resolutions endorsing the deal, but said the American side had tried to introduce changes. "They in their typical way came up with a completely different thing -- which is trying to interpret and re-interpret the agreement," he said adding that “they are not doing the right thing”. More Syria meetings next week John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will attend a special council meeting on Syria on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. "We believe the Security Council can play an important role in the resolution of the crisis in Syria," the US spokesman said. "However, right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement brokered by Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need." Obama expresses concern over deal Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama on Friday voiced "deep concern" that key elements of a Syria ceasefire are not being upheld. The White House has said that despite decreased violence across the war-ravaged country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid. Obama reportedly told aides that the next steps in the deal, closer military coordination with Russia, will require "seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access." Some within the Pentagon have expressed deep reservations about the agreement forcing Obama to referee disputes. White House has repeatedly argued that the ceasefire will offer the desperately needed respite from a brutal five-year civil war that has killed 300,000 people. It says that talks are the only way the Syrian war will come to an end. (WION with inputs from Reuters, AFP)

World leaders to discuss Syria war at UN next week as US, Russia try to shore up 'fragile' truce deal

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by US and Russia seemed to be holding on its first full day on Tuesday. 
 
In Aleppo, the rebel-held east and the government-held west were silent as the night passed without any air strikes or rocket fire, AFP reported. 
 
The deal is one of the many attempts to end the fighting in Syria. It aims to end clashes between President Assad&#39;s forces and rebels but excludes the Islamic State group. This is the second attempt this year by US and Russia to halt the violence in the country. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the main battlefronts were &quot;completely calm&quot;. 
 
Many residents reported a calm night and a full night&#39;s rest. 
 
&quot;We were able to sleep well. Last night was amazing,&quot; Nayef Mustafa told AFP from the town of Salqin. 
 
&quot;My house is near the Razi hospital (western Aleppo) and I&#39;m used to hearing ambulance sirens every two or three hours. I haven&#39;t heard anything this morning,&quot; Habib Badr told AFP. &quot;I hope that I don&#39;t hear any ambulances for a long, long time.&quot; 
 
The UN, however, said on Tuesday that they would not roll aid convoys until security was assured. 
 
&quot;We have been mobilising, stockpiling, readying ourselves for this great opportunity to deliver this very urgent aid but we need that peace to be reinstated,&quot; UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters. 
 
Larke also said that before sending help in areas of conflict like Aleppo they needed to assess the situation. 
 
Twenty trucks carrying aid crossing the border into northern&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu but it was not immediately clear how far into the country they would go, given the security concerns, Reuters reported. 
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was &quot;far too early to draw conclusions&quot;. 
 
If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target jihadist forces, including IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported. 
 
The Syria conflict&nbsp;has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in March 2011. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Human Rights monitors say the main battlefronts were completely calm but there is still scepticism about whether the truce will last

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by US and Russia seemed to be holding on its first full day on Tuesday. In Aleppo, the rebel-held east and the government-held west were silent as the night passed without any air strikes or rocket fire, AFP reported. The deal is one of the many attempts to end the fighting in Syria. It aims to end clashes between President Assad's forces and rebels but excludes the Islamic State group. This is the second attempt this year by US and Russia to halt the violence in the country. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the main battlefronts were "completely calm". Many residents reported a calm night and a full night's rest. "We were able to sleep well. Last night was amazing," Nayef Mustafa told AFP from the town of Salqin. "My house is near the Razi hospital (western Aleppo) and I'm used to hearing ambulance sirens every two or three hours. I haven't heard anything this morning," Habib Badr told AFP. "I hope that I don't hear any ambulances for a long, long time." The UN, however, said on Tuesday that they would not roll aid convoys until security was assured. "We have been mobilising, stockpiling, readying ourselves for this great opportunity to deliver this very urgent aid but we need that peace to be reinstated," UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters. Larke also said that before sending help in areas of conflict like Aleppo they needed to assess the situation. Twenty trucks carrying aid crossing the border into northern Syria from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu but it was not immediately clear how far into the country they would go, given the security concerns, Reuters reported. US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "far too early to draw conclusions". If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target jihadist forces, including IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported. The Syria conflict has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in March 2011. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria truce brings calm; UN demands greater security for aid convoys

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in Syria at sundown Monday, but there was deep scepticism over whether it would hold. 
 
The initial 48-hour truce entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in areas held by jihadists like the Islamic State group. 
 
Syria&#39;s armed forces immediately announced a seven-day &quot;freeze&quot; on military operations, lasting to midnight next Sunday. 
 
But opposition forces had yet to formally sign on and the deal&#39;s fragility was underscored just hours before sundown when President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the whole country from &quot;terrorists&quot;. 
 
The agreement, announced Friday, after marathon talks between Russia and the United States, has been billed as the best chance yet to halt the bloodshed in Syria&#39;s five-year civil war. 
 
As well as bringing a temporary end to the fighting, it aims to provide crucial aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians. 
 
AFP correspondents in Syria&#39;s devastated second city Aleppo, divided between a rebel-held east and regime-controlled west since mid-2012, said fighting appeared to have stopped as the ceasefire took effect. 
 
A final rocket was fired from the east into government areas just five minutes before 7:00 pm, while rebel neighbourhoods had not been hit by bombardments for about two hours, they said. 
 
Just before the truce came into force, senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi said the ceasefire would cover all of Syria except &quot;terrorist targets&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Today from 1900 (local time) the cessation of hostilities is being resumed across all the territory of Syria,&quot; Rudskoi said at a Moscow briefing, adding that Russia would &quot;continue to carry out strikes against terrorist targets&quot;. 
 
Rebels demand guarantees 
 
Under the agreement, fighting will halt in areas not held by jihadists and aid deliveries to besieged areas will begin, with government and rebel forces ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access in particular to divided Aleppo city. 
 
The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of jihadist forces. 
 
World powers have thrown their weight behind this new deal after several rounds of peace efforts failed to end the conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people. 
 
But Syria&#39;s opposition and rebels are deeply sceptical that Assad&#39;s regime will abide by the truce agreement, and demanded guarantees before endorsing a deal. 
 
&quot;We are asking for guarantees especially from the United States, which is a party to the agreement,&quot; Salem al-Muslet from the High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition umbrella group, told AFP Monday. 
 
&quot;We fear that Russia will classify all the Free Syrian Army (rebel factions) as terrorists,&quot; as it was unclear how the deal defined &quot;terrorist groups&quot;, he said. 
 
Rebel groups on Sunday sent a letter to the US saying they would &quot;deal positively with the idea of the ceasefire&quot; but listed several &quot;concerns&quot; and stopped short of a full endorsement. 
 
&quot;The clauses of the agreement that have been shared with us do not include any clear guarantees or monitoring mechanisms... or repercussions if there are truce violations,&quot; they said. 
 
Ahmad al-Saoud, who heads the US-backed Division 13 rebel group which signed the letter, said they had received no response. 
 
Questions remain about how the ceasefire will apply in parts of Syria where the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, is present. 
 
A crucial part of the deal calls for rebels to distance themselves from the group before joint US-Russian operations against it begin. 
 
But Fateh al-Sham cooperates closely with many of Syria&#39;s rebels, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction, which on Sunday issued a scathing condemnation of the Russian-US deal. 
 
October peace talks? 
 
Russia&#39;s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-run news agency RIA Novosti that peace talks could resume within a month. 
 
&quot;I think that probably at the very beginning of October, (UN envoy Staffan) de Mistura should be inviting all parties&quot; to talks, he said. 
 
Syria&#39;s government and its allies including Iran and Lebanon&#39;s Hezbollah movement have backed the truce. 
 
But on Monday Assad made clear he was intent on recapturing all of Syria. 
 
&quot;The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists,&quot; he said as he toured Daraya, a former rebel stronghold that surrendered last month after a four-year government siege. 
 
&quot;The armed forces are continuing their work, relentlessly and without hesitation, regardless of internal or external circumstances,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
The run-up to the truce saw a spike in violence, with at least 74 people killed in weekend strikes on Aleppo and Idlib cities. 
 
Just moments before the ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported three people killed in regime shelling in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus. 
 
At least 13 civilians were also killed in unidentified air raids on a town in Idlib province hours before the truce began, the Observatory said. 
 
Fresh raids had also earlier on Monday hit Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said, where residents have struggled to celebrate the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival amid shortages created by a renewed government siege. 
 
In August, rebels broke a weeks-long regime siege of the east, but Assad loyalists restored the blockade on September 8. 
 
&quot;We hope there will be a ceasefire so that civilians can get a break,&quot; said east Aleppo resident Abu Abdullah. &quot;Civilians have no hope any more.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Syria's armed forces immediately announced a seven-day 'freeze' on military operations, lasting to midnight next Sunday

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in Syria at sundown Monday, but there was deep scepticism over whether it would hold. The initial 48-hour truce entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in areas held by jihadists like the Islamic State group. Syria's armed forces immediately announced a seven-day "freeze" on military operations, lasting to midnight next Sunday. But opposition forces had yet to formally sign on and the deal's fragility was underscored just hours before sundown when President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the whole country from "terrorists". The agreement, announced Friday, after marathon talks between Russia and the United States, has been billed as the best chance yet to halt the bloodshed in Syria's five-year civil war. As well as bringing a temporary end to the fighting, it aims to provide crucial aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians. AFP correspondents in Syria's devastated second city Aleppo, divided between a rebel-held east and regime-controlled west since mid-2012, said fighting appeared to have stopped as the ceasefire took effect. A final rocket was fired from the east into government areas just five minutes before 7:00 pm, while rebel neighbourhoods had not been hit by bombardments for about two hours, they said. Just before the truce came into force, senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi said the ceasefire would cover all of Syria except "terrorist targets". "Today from 1900 (local time) the cessation of hostilities is being resumed across all the territory of Syria," Rudskoi said at a Moscow briefing, adding that Russia would "continue to carry out strikes against terrorist targets". Rebels demand guarantees Under the agreement, fighting will halt in areas not held by jihadists and aid deliveries to besieged areas will begin, with government and rebel forces ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access in particular to divided Aleppo city. The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of jihadist forces. World powers have thrown their weight behind this new deal after several rounds of peace efforts failed to end the conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people. But Syria's opposition and rebels are deeply sceptical that Assad's regime will abide by the truce agreement, and demanded guarantees before endorsing a deal. "We are asking for guarantees especially from the United States, which is a party to the agreement," Salem al-Muslet from the High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition umbrella group, told AFP Monday. "We fear that Russia will classify all the Free Syrian Army (rebel factions) as terrorists," as it was unclear how the deal defined "terrorist groups", he said. Rebel groups on Sunday sent a letter to the US saying they would "deal positively with the idea of the ceasefire" but listed several "concerns" and stopped short of a full endorsement. "The clauses of the agreement that have been shared with us do not include any clear guarantees or monitoring mechanisms... or repercussions if there are truce violations," they said. Ahmad al-Saoud, who heads the US-backed Division 13 rebel group which signed the letter, said they had received no response. Questions remain about how the ceasefire will apply in parts of Syria where the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, is present. A crucial part of the deal calls for rebels to distance themselves from the group before joint US-Russian operations against it begin. But Fateh al-Sham cooperates closely with many of Syria's rebels, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction, which on Sunday issued a scathing condemnation of the Russian-US deal. October peace talks? Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-run news agency RIA Novosti that peace talks could resume within a month. "I think that probably at the very beginning of October, (UN envoy Staffan) de Mistura should be inviting all parties" to talks, he said. Syria's government and its allies including Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement have backed the truce. But on Monday Assad made clear he was intent on recapturing all of Syria. "The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," he said as he toured Daraya, a former rebel stronghold that surrendered last month after a four-year government siege. "The armed forces are continuing their work, relentlessly and without hesitation, regardless of internal or external circumstances," he added. The run-up to the truce saw a spike in violence, with at least 74 people killed in weekend strikes on Aleppo and Idlib cities. Just moments before the ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported three people killed in regime shelling in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus. At least 13 civilians were also killed in unidentified air raids on a town in Idlib province hours before the truce began, the Observatory said. Fresh raids had also earlier on Monday hit Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said, where residents have struggled to celebrate the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival amid shortages created by a renewed government siege. In August, rebels broke a weeks-long regime siege of the east, but Assad loyalists restored the blockade on September 8. "We hope there will be a ceasefire so that civilians can get a break," said east Aleppo resident Abu Abdullah. "Civilians have no hope any more." (AFP)

Syria ceasefire takes effect under US-Russia deal

The United States and Russia have agreed to a &#39;&#39;cessation of hostilities&#39;&#39; in Syria from September 12, the first day of Eid. 
 
Both countries have also agreed to carry out joint air strikes in Syria if the ceasefire holds up for a week, AFP quoted&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. 
 
US Secretary of State John&nbsp;Kerry said if the ceasefire remained imposed for a week, the two countries would set up a common military hub to fight Islamic State and Al Nusra in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The United States is going the extra mile here because we believe Russia and my colleague have the capability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and come to the table and make peace,&quot; said US Secretary of State John Kerry.&nbsp; 
 
The peace deal comes after marathon talks held between the two countries in Geneva. 
 
The meeting was not without its fair share of drama as the talks were on the brink of collapse. Delays and&nbsp;uncertainties from both sides were the main reasons for the delay in agreeing to the deal. 
 
Turkey, which launched its first major military incursion into Syria two and half weeks ago, on Saturday welcomed the deal for a ceasefire in its neighbouring country. 
 
&quot;We welcome the agreement,&quot; the foreign ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;Provision of aid around Aleppo was key, the statement said. 
 
The war in Syria has been raging for the last five years. It has claimed around&nbsp;300,000 lives. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The two countries came to an agreement after a day of marathon talks in Geneva

The United States and Russia have agreed to a ''cessation of hostilities'' in Syria from September 12, the first day of Eid. Both countries have also agreed to carry out joint air strikes in Syria if the ceasefire holds up for a week, AFP quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. US Secretary of State John Kerry said if the ceasefire remained imposed for a week, the two countries would set up a common military hub to fight Islamic State and Al Nusra in Syria. "The United States is going the extra mile here because we believe Russia and my colleague have the capability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and come to the table and make peace," said US Secretary of State John Kerry. The peace deal comes after marathon talks held between the two countries in Geneva. The meeting was not without its fair share of drama as the talks were on the brink of collapse. Delays and uncertainties from both sides were the main reasons for the delay in agreeing to the deal. Turkey, which launched its first major military incursion into Syria two and half weeks ago, on Saturday welcomed the deal for a ceasefire in its neighbouring country. "We welcome the agreement," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Provision of aid around Aleppo was key, the statement said. The war in Syria has been raging for the last five years. It has claimed around 300,000 lives. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US, Russia agree on ceasefire plan in Syria

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Syria ceasefire takes effect under US-Russia deal

US, Russia agree on ceasefire plan in Syria