KHMEIMIM /Syria/, March 28. /TASS/. Nine ceasefire violations have been reports in Syria in the past day, the chief of Russia’s center for reconciliation of the warring parties, Sergei Kuralenko, said on Monday.
"The ceasefire regime between the government troops and opposition forces has been generally observed. Over the past day, nine ceasefire violations have been reported, namely four violations in the province of Aleppo, four - in the province of Idlib, and one - in the province of Latakia," he said.
According to the Russian general, the situation in Aleppo where the Kurdish Sheikh Maksoud district is shelled from mortars and artillery systems, arouses serious concern. "This district is shelled by the Ahrar ash-Sham group, which has joined the ceasefire regime, and by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists. Two civilians were killed and six more were wounded in shelling on March 27 alone," Kyalenko said.
All the nine ceasefire violations were committed by the group Ahrar ash-Sham which "positions itself as opposition," the center said in a regular information bulletin posted on the Russian defense ministry’s website.
According to the bulletin, the number of opposition groups which have declared their commitment to ceasefire terms and the number of settlements which joined ceasefire agreements remained unchanged. However talks were continued with representatives from two settlements in the provinces of Damascus and Hama and field commanders of three armed groups in the provinces of Hama and Homs, the bulletin says.
A ceasefire regime brokered by Russia and the United States on February 22 officially came into effect in Syria at midnight Damascus time on February 27. This does not cover terrorist groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, both outlawed in Russia, and other groups recognized as terrorist by the United Nations Security Council.
An hour before the ceasefire came into force, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution in support cessation of hostilities in Syria. The document was initiated by Russia and the United States and won support from all the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council.