Fighting mars second day of Syria ceasefire

Syrian government troops and rebels were engaged in heavy fighting in several areas of the country on Saturday, the second day of a temporary truce marking the four-day Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, activists reported.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a massive explosion rocked the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, followed by fierce clashes between troops and rebel fighters.

There were sporadic clashes between the two sides in the northern city of Aleppo, while a man and child were killed by sniper fire in the southern province of Daraa, the London-based watchdog said.

“Neither side seems ready to stop. The truce looks set to collapse,” Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the organization, told dpa.