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Nine ceasefire violations registered in Syria in 24 hours

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. The ceasefire largely holds in most of Syria’s provinces, with nine violations registered over the past 24 hours, the Russian center for reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria has said.

"Over the last 24 hours, nine ceasefire violations have been registered (with four - in Latakia province and five - in Damascus province). In the Latakia province, militants of the Akhrar ash-Sham group (describing itself as an opposition force) delivered strikes from multiple rocket launchers and mortars on positions of governmental troops" near some residential localities, the center said in a news bulletin posted on the Russian Defense Ministry’s website.

Besides, detachments of the Jaysh al-Islam opposition group hurled mortars into some villages in the Damascus province.

Russia’s Aerospace Force and Syria’s Air Force have not been delivering strikes on opposition armed units that had announced the cessation of hostilities and reported their location to the Russian or U.S. reconciliation centers.

Around 80 fighters of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group arrived in the Idlib province from the Turkish territory, according to the information received from local residents. In the Latakia and Aleppo provinces, peaceful civilians keep suffering from gunfire, along with governmental troops, the center says.

"Preliminary ceasefire agreements have been signed with representatives of a residential locality in the Homs province. A total of residential localities that joined the process of reconciliation has climbed to 70," the document says.

In the Quneitra province an agreement to end fighting was concluded with the field commander of a unit of 30 fighters. The number of illegal armed groups that announced their commitment to conditions of the ceasefire has increased to 51.

"The Russian center for reconciliation of opposing sides has received requests of humanitarian aid deliveries from authorities and elders of three villages in the Damascus and Hama regions that joined the reconciliation process," the news bulletin says. "Officers of the reconciliation center have begun readying convoys with humanitarian aid for the residents of those residential localities."

Apart from that, repair work is in full swing in the town of Al-Qaryatayn in Homs province.

"The repair teams have cleared 20 meters of roads and restored 400 meters of power lines. Sappers demined 250 meters of roads and defused 13 land mines planted by combatants before their retreat," the document says.

Ceasefire in Syria

The ceasefire has been effective in Syria since February 27. It does not apply to the groups Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both outlawed in Russia), and also to other groups declared as terrorist by the UN Security Council.

The Russian Defense Ministry declared the establishment of the reconciliation center on February 23. It is headquartered at the Hmeimim air base, Latakia province. The center was set up in line with agreements reached by Russia and the United States to facilitate the negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition and to organize humanitarian deliveries.