Syria quiet, for the most part
Militants’ bomb, sniper fire among cease-fire exceptions
BEIRUT — A cease-fire brought relative quiet to parts of Syria for the first time in years on Saturday, offering civilians respite from Russian and Syrian government air- strikes despite some limited breaches of the agreement brokered by Washington and Moscow.
Fighting continued against the Islamic State militant group, which launched a surprise offensive on a northern town and carried out a suicide truck bombing in central Syria. The group, along with al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, is not party to the cease-fire, which went into effect at midnight.
The cease-fire marks the most ambitious international attempt yet to reduce violence in the devastating conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people, wounded a million and generated one of the worst refugee crises since World War II.
The United States and Russia have invested considerable political capital in the truce, although it has not been formally signed by either the Syrian government or its opponents. It is the first such attempt since a U.N.-brokered truce in April 2012 that broke down within hours.
The deal still faces major obstacles, not least a lack of clarity on who is going to stop shooting at whom and how the truce will be monitored. Russia and the U.S. have set up separate, parallel monitoring centers, at Russia’s air base in Syria and in Amman, Jordan.
There were numerous violations of the cease-fire Saturday, but the level of violence was markedly down nationwide.
“Today we woke up and it was calm, stable. And even in the street … it was complete calm, said Loris Atwah, a 65-year-old resident of Damascus.
“We pray to God that the cease-fire will continue,” said Ragheb Bashir Ali, 22.
In southern Syria, the situation was “calm” Saturday, according to opposition activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh, who is based in the southern city of Daraa. Quiet also prevailed in large parts of the central province of Homs, according to Mohammed al-Sibai, who is based in the province.
The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, a group of first responders known as the White Helmets, posted on Twitter, “In comparison with past 4 years, today very quiet and #SyriaCeasefire holding in the main. Long may it last.”
Syria’s state-run news agency said militants fired several shells on residential areas in the capital in the first breach of the cease-fire about midday Saturday. SANA said the shells were fired by “terrorist groups” entrenched in Jobar and Douma, two opposition-held Damascus suburbs.
It later said that one person was killed and another one was wounded by sniper fire on the outskirts of the government-held Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood in Aleppo city.
Rebel groups said they have registered numerous violations by government forces across the country that could threaten the agreement.
Lt. Col. Fares al-Bayoush, commander of the 1,300-strong Fursan al-Haq Brigade, a U.S.-backed rebel
faction, told The Associated Press that his group and others affiliated with the mainstream Free Syrian Army are so far abiding by the truce.
“If they continue with these violations we will be forced to retaliate accordingly,” he said by phone from southern Turkey. He added, however, that the cease-fire has sharply reduced government attacks across northern Syria, where his group is based.
The U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said some incidents were to be expected, but that the situation after the first night and day of the cease-fire was “quite reassuring.”
A top military official in Moscow said Russia had grounded its warplanes in Syria to help secure the ceasefire.
Lt.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said that while Russia will continue airstrikes against the Islamic State and Nusra Front, Moscow is keeping its aircraft on the ground for now “to avoid any possible mistakes.”
He said the Russian military had established hotlines to exchange information with the U.S. military in order to help monitor the cease-fire and quickly respond to any conflict situations.
Rudskoi said that Russia has given the U.S. maps showing the location of opposition groups pledging to abide by the cease-fire as well as Islamic State and Nusra Front units. He said that 74 opposition units, including more than 6,100 fighters, have agreed to adhere to the truce.
The U.S. has provided the Russian Defense Ministry with similar maps and its own list of opposition units, which have agreed to respect the cease-fire.
Rudskoi said that according to the U.S.-Russian agreements, a rebel unit that comes under attack should contact Russian or U.S. representatives, who would quickly resolve the matter.
A coordination center at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, where Russian warplanes are based, has 61 officers who negotiate with groups willing to join the cease-fire and coordinate the deliveries of humanitarian aid. Rudskoi said 17 opposition units have contacted the Russian military to adhere to the truce.
The Islamic State meanwhile launched two suicide attacks near the central town of Salamiyeh, one on an army checkpoint that killed two and wounded four. The second car bomb was destroyed by Syrian troops before reaching a military post, state TV said.
The Islamic State-affiliated Aamaq news agency said the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blasts in the area, where most residents belong to the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as heretics.
In the northern province of Raqqa, Islamic State fighters attacked the border town of Tal Abyad and the nearby village of Suluk, which were captured months ago by Kurdish fighters, according to a Syrian rebel official.