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Syria Cease-Fire in Effect, But Will It Hold?

News Staff : Sep 12, 2016
CBN News

The rebel groups in the country have given mixed messages of commitment and suspect the Assad regime will not keep its word.

(Syria)—[CBN News] A cease-fire [began] in war-torn Syria at sundown Monday. The United States and Russia brokered the truce, the first in months. (Photo: Reuters/via Haaretz)

The ceasefire calls on President Bashar al-Assad to stop all combat air missions targeting rebel forces. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the Syrian government air force is the "main driver of civilian causalities."
 
However, the Syrian government will still be allowed to target terror groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Officials hope the ceasefire will allow much needed emergency and human aid to enter the country.
 
If the ceasefire holds, Russia and the United States will team up to carry out strikes against Islamic terror targets.
 
However, many have serious concerns about the success of this cease-fire after past failures. The rebel groups in the country have given mixed messages of commitment and suspect the Assad regime will not keep its word.
 
"We don't trust the regime and there are no actions that will be taken in case the regime violates the truce," a representative from the Free Syrian Army told CNN.
 
The truce comes at the end of a bloody weekend.
 
Activists say Syrian government forces were bombing areas in the country's north, just hours ahead of the start the ceasefire.
 
The Local Coordination Committees monitoring group reported airstrikes on the Aleppo neighborhoods and suburbs of Rashiddine, Salihine, and Jazmata.
 
But the U.S. and Russia hope this ceasefire will be a turning point in the five-year-long civil war that has devastated Syria.