Government Announces Partial Truce, Excludes Aleppo

Following a surge in violence between government and opposition forces over the past week, the Syrian government, backed by Russia, announced a temporary truce on Friday but excluded the flashpoint city of Aleppo in northwestern Syria, Reuters reports.

The government called for a 24-hour truce in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, and a 72-hour truce in the coastal province of Latakia. But its exclusion of Aleppo, which has seen the heaviest fighting in months over the past two weeks, infuriated opposition groups.

The truce was rejected by a number of armed factions, including leading Islamist group Jaish al-Islam, which “reserved the right to respond to attacks” on rebel factions.

“We won’t accept any kind of … regional cease-fires,” a statement by the group said.

While Damascus and Latakia experienced a relative lull in fighting on Saturday, government forces continued to bombard opposition-held areas of Aleppo, killing civilians and destroying buildings.

The U.S. said it is working on “specific initiatives” to reduce levels of violence and views Aleppo as a priority.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva on Monday and is due to hold an urgent meeting with special envoy Staffan de Mistura in the hopes of salvaging what remains of the crumbling cease-fire and finding a solution to the escalation of fighting.

Attacks on Civilians in Aleppo Deliberate: Report

Government and Russian forces carried out systematic attacks on civilian areas in opposition-held neighborhoods of Aleppo following the the opposition’s postponement of its participation in the Geneva peace talks on April 19, according to a new report.

The report, published by the U.K.-based Syrian Network for Human Rights, states that the sudden surge in violent attacks in Aleppo came after a series of political declarations by the Syrian government regarding the presence of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front across the province, which it used as an excuse to bomb civilian targets.

The responsibility lies on the government and the parties that brokered the truce to locate the military sites of al-Nusra and ISIS in order to avoid targeting civilians, said a statement by Fadel Abdul Ghani, director of the Network.

“The Syrian and Russian forces have deliberately exploited this gap and justified killing hundreds of civilians since its [the agreement’s] declaration,” added Abdul Ghani.

The government has carried out at least seven targeted attacks on civilian centers in Aleppo since April 19, killing 147 civilians, including 27 children and 35 women.

Thirteen vital civilian centers were attacked over the course of the past 10 days, including three mosques, two medical centres, a school and a bakery.

The report urges the U.S. and Russian governments to investigate truce violations, and asks the United Nations Security Council to use further measures to implement resolutions 2139 and 2254, which aim to set a timetable for a political transition in the country and ease aid deliveries to civilians.

Turkey Kills 34 ISIS Militants Along Border

Turkish artillery forces and drones targeted Islamic State group (ISIS) targets in Syria on Sunday, killing 34 militants, according to the Turkish military.

The shelling, which destroyed six vehicles and five gun positions, was a response to ISIS rockets fired across the border into the southern Turkish province of Kilis, reported Reuters.

The border town of Kilis and its surrounding areas have been hit frequently by rocket fire from ISIS-controlled areas of Idlib and northern Aleppo in recent months, killing Turkish and Syrian civilians.

Turkey has repeatedly retaliated against ISIS attacks by firing at militant positions along the border – under its rules of engagement via an agreement with the U.S.-led coalition, but has repeatedly asked for greater support from its Western allies.

Recommended Reads:

• War on the Rocks: Syria’s Toxic War: Chemical Weapons Are Undermining Deterrence and NonProliferation
• Los Angeles Times: Obama Is Pursuing Two Strategies in Syria. One Is Working, the Other Is Not
• The Telegraph: As Bombs Fall, Aleppo Asks: ‘Where are the Americans?’
• Syria Direct: ‘Shameful’ Rebel Infighting in East Ghouta Leaves Residents ‘in a State of Shock’
• The Daily Beast: Are Russian Propagandists Manipulating Footage of Syrian Devastation to Save Assad?