Only one side implementing ceasefire in Syria: Russia
The Russian Defense Ministry says only Moscow and Syrian government forces are standing committed to the terms of a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia in the conflict-ridden Arab country, criticizing foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists of violating the truce.
“Although the ceasefire agreement is bilateral, only one side is truly implementing it,” the ministry’s spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Friday.
The announcement came as Syrian army redeployed military personnel and munitions to Castello Road, which serves as the only path into the militant-controlled eastern areas of Aleppo, after coming under fire from foreign-sponsored terrorists.
Syrian army soldiers and fighters from allied popular defense groups wrested control over the road on July 26.
Meanwhile, Russia says it is prepared to extend the nationwide ceasefire in Syria for a further 72 hours.
“We are prepared to extend the cessation of hostilities for a further 72 hours,” senior Russian official Lieutenant General Viktor Poznikhir announced at a televised briefing in Moscow.
On September 9, Russia and the United States agreed on a milestone deal on the Syrian crisis after some 13 hours of marathon talks in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The deal, which began on September 12 and was initially agreed to last seven days, calls for increased humanitarian aid for those trapped inside the embattled northwestern city of Aleppo.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Russian and American fighter jets would launch joint airstrikes and pound the positions of Takfiri terrorist groups in Syria.
Damascus has committed to the demands of the deal. “The Syrian government has approved the agreement, and a cessation of hostilities will begin in Aleppo for humanitarian reasons,” Syria’s official SANA news agency reported over the weekend.
The truce does not apply to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group or Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, al-Qaeda's Syrian branch formerly known as al-Nusra Front.
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