BEIRUT, February 25. /TASS/. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance mainly consisting of Kurdish militias, has announced it will halt military actions in line with the US-Russian agreement on Syria ceasefire.
"The ceasefire for which Russia and the United States have called for is an important and historical step," the SDF said in a statement circulated by the Al Mayadeen TV channel.
The SDF called on Turkey "as one of the key parties in the conflict to observe the ceasefire." "We reserve the legal right to self-defense if we are attacked," the statement said.
Syria ceasefire terms
On Monday night Russia and the United States released a joint statement saying that the ceasefire will take effect in Syria at 00:00 Damascus Time on February 27.
"The cessation of hostilities commence at 00:00 (Damascus time) on February 27, 2016," the joint statement said.
The statement points out that the cessation of hostilities is to be applied to all parties to the Syrian conflict but for Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State) and Jabhat al-Nusra (both are banned in Russia) "or other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council."
Syrian Kurds shelling
Turkey has been recently shelling positions of Syrian Kurds, who fight against terrorists on the side of Damascus. Russia initiated a meeting of the United Nations Security Council over Ankara’s actions. Following their February 16 meeting, the United Nations Security Council members expressed concern over the actions of the Turkish authorities and agreed to urge Ankara to respect international law.