United States, Russia Agree to Cease-Fire Deal

The United States and Russia announced a peace deal in Syria early Saturday morning, the Washington Post reported.

Set to begin at sundown on Monday, the cease-fire aims to wind down open hostilities by all parties in the conflict, including both ground and air attacks. If the cease-fire holds and humanitarian aid is successfully delivered to besieged areas, the U.S. and Russia will begin to coordinate military strikes and intelligence sharing through a Joint Implementation Center.

Al Jazeera reported that the Joint Implementation Center will be tasked with mapping out areas under control of the former al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, previously called Jabhat al-Nusra, and those of U.S.-backed opposition groups. U.S. secretary of state John Kerry said that U.S.-backed opposition groups will separate themselves from the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) militants operating in Syria, as well as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. Russia has committed to pushing President Bashar al-Assad’s government to restrain airstrikes in opposition-held areas under the terms of the deal.

Relieving the conditions in Aleppo, the besieged city that has suffered increased fighting in the last weeks, is among the primary goals of the agreement. A “demilitarized zone” is to be created around the main access road into Aleppo in order to allow for humanitarian aid to enter into the city.

The agreement comes after months of meetings between Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. They struggled to reach an agreement amid growing distrust between the two countries.

Continued Airstrikes on Eve of Cease-Fire

At least 90 people have been killed in aerial bombardments in Syria since the announcement of the cease-fire early Saturday, CNN reported.

In Idlib, a city in rebel-controlled territory in northwest Syria, airstrikes killed at least 61 people and injured more than 100 at a crowded market. Additional attacks were carried out in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

The attacks by the Syrian military began hours after the cease-fire deal was announced and continued into Sunday.

Syrian Opposition Groups Uneasy About Peace Plan

Multiple opposition groups operating in Syria have expressed misgivings about the cease-fire agreement announced by the U.S. and Russia on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

A senior official from the hard-line Ahrar al-Sham faction said the group opposed the deal but would agree to cease hostilities in order to regroup after recent government advances in Aleppo, where more than 2,000 people have died in the past 40 days.

A commander in the Division 13 brigade, which is backed by the U.S., tweeted that “the truce is a military trap to kill us more.” Reuters reported that additional Free Syrian Army groups expressed concern about the lack of enforcement mechanisms, and said that the Syrian government would benefit.

A previous cease-fire implemented last February fell apart after less than a month amid airstrikes targeting opposition-held territory.

Some groups, however, have embraced the cease-fire, including Turkish-backed groups in the northern provinces. Syria, Russia, Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah have all endorsed the deal.

Recommended Reads:

• BBC News: Syria Conflict: Grim Prospect of 10 More Years of War
• Los Angeles Times: Don’t be Like Gary Johnson: 8 Things You Should Know About Aleppo, Including What It Is
• The Economist: America and Russia Agree Another Cease-Fire in Syria
• The Daily Beast: Will the U.S.-Russia Deal Bring Syria Peace? Don’t Hold Your Breath
• New York Times: Even Amid Cease-Fire Countdown, Syria’s Conflict Deepens