Peace Talks in Astana Begin

Peace talks between the Syrian government and rebels in the Kazakh capital of Astana launched on Monday with rebels opting out of the first face-to-face session, Al Jazeera reported.

The rebel delegation did not attend the first session because it accused the government of violating a December 30 cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey, said opposition spokesman Yahya al-Aridi.

The peace talks in Astana are sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran, and aim to consolidate the aforementioned cease-fire. Delegations from the three countries met on Sunday to try to agree on common ground that would bolster the peace talks and a political settlement for the nearly six-year war in which they are deeply embroiled, according to the Associated Press.

The Syrian government sent its U.N. ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari and military delegates to the talks. The opposition delegation sent rebel representatives led by Mohammad Alloush, the leader of the Jaish al-Islam rebel group based in the Damascus suburbs.

The December 30 cease-fire has reduced overall violence, but intense clashes have continued, most notably in the Damascus suburbs. The truce excludes the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria.

“We need a commitment to that cease-fire,” al-Aridi said.

The U.S. did send a delegation to Astana, citing “immediate demands of the transition,” adding that its ambassador in Kazakhstan would attend. The talks are supposed to wrap up on Tuesday, and be built upon in U.N.-sponsored talks in Geneva next month.

“A solution in one or two days should not be expected,” Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters.

Nearly 260 Civilians Killed by ISIS, Government Sends Reinforcements to Deir Ezzor

Syrian government and allied forces continued their military operation in Deir Ezzor after a recent advance by ISIS, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitor reported.

The northeastern city, under siege by the jihadists, is undergoing the most violent attack on it by ISIS yet, with nearly 260 civilians killed in the past nine days.

Violent clashes between pro-government forces and the militants continue in the Panorama area near the southern outskirts of the city. Reinforcements from the capital were sent to the nearby Qamishli airport to aid in the offensive, according to pro-government website al-Masdar. Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, carried out airstrikes in Deir Ezzor on Saturday, Reuters reported.

ISIS fighters backed by reinforcements from Iraq surrounded the Deir Ezzor airport on January 17, cleaving the city in two and cutting off aid supplies to nearly 100,000 civilians living in Deir Ezzor, according to the U.N. Aid air drops provide necessary food and medicine to residents of Deir Ezzor city, under siege by the jihadists since July 2014.

Turkey Kills 65 ISIS Militants After Deadly Attack on Friday

Five Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack by ISIS in northern Syria on Friday, Al Jazeera reported.

Nine others were injured in the bombing in al-Bab. The ISIS-held town outside Aleppo has been under siege by Turkish-backed forces for weeks. On Monday, the Turkish military announced it had killed 65 ISIS militants, Reuters reported.

Turkey intervened militarily in Syria five months ago to push ISIS back from its border, as well as to counter Syrian Kurdish forces, who are the U.S.-led coalition’s strongest allies against ISIS.

RECOMMENDED READS:

• Time: The Damascus Suburb That Could Be the Next Key Front in Syria’s War
• The Associated Press: In Midst of Aleppo Wreckage, a Syrian Family Returns Home
• The Guardian: Russia in Power-Broking Role as Syria Peace Talks Begin in Astana
• The New York Times: Russia Signs Deal for Syria Bases; Turkey Appears to Accept Assad
• Syria Direct: ‘No Calm’ in Wadi Barada Following Collapse of Second Cease-Fire