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US failed to fulfill obligations under Syria truce: Russia

Russia’s military spokesman Igor Konashenkov

Russia has lashed out at Washington for failing to honor its commitments under a recently implemented ceasefire in Syria, complaining that the US-backed opposition groups are mounting their attacks on residential areas in the Arab country.

Russia’s military spokesman Igor Konashenkov made the criticism in a statement released on Thursday.

Konashenkov slammed the US for "rhetorical fog" intended "to hide the fact that it is not fulfilling its part of the obligations."

The US-Russia brokered truce went into effect on Monday at sunset. The deal's initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint Moscow-Washington attacks against militant groups, which are not covered by the agreement, including Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

The seven-day truce is the second attempt this year by Russia and the US to bring an end to the Syrian crisis, which started in March 2011. 

A Syrian boy rides on the back of a Syrian Arab Red Crescent truck delivering aid in the militant-held area of Harasta on the northeastern outskirts of Damascus, August 29, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Elsewhere in his remarks, Konashenkov stressed that Russia has respected its commitments from the first minute that the cessation of hostilities began in Syria.

"As of the third day (of the truce), only the Syrian army is observing the regime of silence. At the same time, the [so-called] 'moderate opposition' led by the US is increasing the amount of attacks on residential districts," he added.

The Russian official also noted that Washington’s first and foremost task was to separate the so-called moderate opposition from terrorists.

Syria-bound aid trucks cross Turkish border: UN

In a relevant development on Thursday, Jan Egeland, chairman of a UN humanitarian task force on Syria, said that trucks loaded with desperately needed aid for militant-held eastern Aleppo have crossed into a buffer zone between Syria and Turkey.

Jan Egeland, chairman of a UN humanitarian task force on Syria (Photo by AFP)

"The 20 trucks ... have passed over the Turkish border, they are in the buffer zone between the Turkish and Syrian border," Egeland said, expressing hope the aid could be delivered to eastern Aleppo on Friday.

He further hailed the fact that the Syria truce was "largely holding” and emphasized that violence has greatly reduced while there had been "no reports on civilian killings in the last 24 hours.”

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city Aleppo, has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and foreign-backed militants in the east.


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