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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Middle East

Syria conflict: Ceasefire agreed for midnight, backed by Russia and Turkey


Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad stand atop a damaged tank near Umayyad mosque, in Aleppo, 13 December
The Syrian government and rebel groups have agreed to a ceasefire from midnight (22:00 GMT) across the country, followed by peace talks.
The deal was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and confirmed by the Turkish foreign ministry.
Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the bitter conflict, will act as guarantors.
Turkey said all fighting including air strikes would be halted. However, some jihadist groups are excluded.
The Syrian army said in a statement that so-called Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly the Nusra Front) "and the groups affiliated to them" were excluded.
An opposition spokesman confirmed the agreement but a rebel source quoted by Reuters news agency said only IS areas were not covered by the truce.


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