Syria ceasefire violated 23 times by opposition forces – Russian military

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Syria ceasefire violated 23 times by opposition forces – Russian military

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13 September 2016

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The so-called moderate rebel forces in Syria have violated the nationwide ceasefire on 23 occasions since it was put in place on Monday, the Russian military says. Six people died in Aleppo overnight while 10 others have been wounded.

The Syrian government is abiding by the ceasefire, Russian General Staff official Viktor Poznikhir said.

"Syrian government forces have completely stopped [their] shelling, except for the areas occupied by ISIS [Islamic State/IS] and Jabhat al-Nusra militants. Unfortunately that can’t be said about the armed forces of the moderate opposition, backed by the United States,” he said.

US-backed rebel forces have shelled residential areas as well as Syrian Army positions, according to the Russian General Staff.

Six people died on Monday night following the shelling of Aleppo by the moderate opposition forces, with 10 others receiving injuries, Colonel Sergey Kopytsin from the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria said Tuesday.

"Five violations of the cessation of hostilities by the ‘moderate opposition’ in the city of Aleppo, which killed six and injured 10 people, were registered overnight following the introduction of the ceasefire," Kopytsin said.

The 48-hour ceasefire in Syria brokered by Russia and the US came into effect on Monday at 7pm Damascus time (16:00 GMT). The Syrian Army later announced it will abide by an even longer term of seven days.

The ceasefire is part of a broader peace plan agreed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart, John Kerry, last Friday in Geneva. A key component of the deal is the delivery of aid to the civilian population of the war-torn city of Aleppo.