It’s advantage Assad as Syria ceasefire takes effect

Its initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint targeting of jihadist groups

September 13, 2016 01:46 am | Updated November 17, 2021 04:50 am IST - BEIRUT:

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad offering Eid prayers at the Saad ibn Muaaz Mosque in Daraya on Monday.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad offering Eid prayers at the Saad ibn Muaaz Mosque in Daraya on Monday.

A nationwide ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia came into effect in Syria on Monday evening, the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year-old civil war.

The Syrian army, announced the truce at 7 pm (1600 GMT), the moment it took effect, saying the seven-day “regime of calm” would be applied across Syria. It reserved the right to respond with all forms of fire-power to any violation by “armed groups”.

Rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar Al-Assad did not immediately declare publicly whether they would respect the ceasefire, but rebel sources said they would do so, despite reservations about a deal they see as skewed in Mr. Assad’s favour.

A rebel commander in northern Syria said there was “cautious calm” at the start of the ceasefire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said calm prevailed on most front-lines after the ceasefire took effect. Russia is a major backer of Mr. Assad, while the United States supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him.

The agreement’s initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint U.S.-Russian targeting of jihadist groups, which are not covered by the agreement.

The agreement comes at a time when Assad's position on the battlefield is stronger than it has been since the earliest months of the war, thanks to Russian and Iranian military support. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in the conflict and 11 million made homeless in the world's worst refugee crisis.

Hours before the truce took effect, an emboldened Assad vowed to take back all of Syria. In a gesture loaded with symbolism, state television showed him visiting Daraya, a Damascus suburb long held by rebels but recaptured last month after fighters surrendered in the face of a crushing siege.

Assad’s assertion

“The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists,” Mr. Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media, flanked by his delegation at an otherwise deserted road junction.

Earlier he performed Muslim holiday prayers alongside other officials in a bare hall in a Daraya mosque. He made no mention of the ceasefire agreement, but said the army would continue its work “without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances”.

The ceasefire deal is backed by foreign countries ranging from Mr. Assad’s ally Iran to Turkey, one of the main supporters of groups fighting to overthrow him.

But maintaining the ceasefire means overcoming big challenges, including separating nationalist rebels who would be protected under it from jihadist fighters who are excluded.

The rebels say the deal benefits Mr. Assad, who took advantage of the aftermath of the last failed truce hammered out by Washington and Moscow in February to improve his forces’ position on the battlefield.

The capture of Daraya, a few kilometres from Damascus, has helped the government secure important areas to the southwest of the capital near an air base. The army has also completely encircled the rebel-held half of Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, which has been divided into government and opposition-held zones for years.

In the hours before the ceasefire took effect, fighting raged on several key front-lines, including Aleppo and the southern province of Quneitra.

Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups are expected to halt fighting for a while as a confidence building measure. Opposition fighters are expected to separate from militant groups in areas such as Aleppo. — Reuters

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