Syrian Cease-Fire Generally Holds, Some Violence Reported
Margaret Besheer, Voice of America
The cease-fire in Syria that began Saturday has mostly held, but there have been some incidents of violence.
State media report a car bomb explosion on the outskirts of the central city of Salamiyeh in Hama province killed two soldiers. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast near the town's entrance.
Elsewhere, clashes between government forces and rebel groups were reported in Latakia province near the Turkish border.
The truce, brokered by the United States and Russia, took effect at midnight Friday Damascus time (2200 UTC). The Syrian opposition’s umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, said in a statement that 97 groups have promised to take part in the cease-fire.
The truce does not apply to Islamic State and the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front terror groups.
President Barack Obama said Saturday in his weekly address the Islamic State's territory in Syria is shrinking. He said the number of fighters on the battlefield is dwindling and it has become harder for the jihadists "to recruit and replenish their ranks."
Obama said the U.S. is working with "partners around the world" to discredit the ideology the Islamic State uses "to radicalize, recruit and inspire people to violence."
Less than an hour before the temporary truce went into effect, members of the U.N. Security council unanimously endorsed the deal in New York.
Saturday is 'Critical'
At the same meeting, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura announced that if the truce largely holds and humanitarian aid access continues he will reconvene intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva on March 7.
“Saturday will be critical,” de Mistura told the council via a video link from Geneva. “No doubt there will be no shortage of attempts to undermine this process. We are ready for it – we should not be impressed, we should not be overly concerned.”
He said after the meeting that a report he received at three minutes after midnight Damascus time indicated that both Darayya and Damascus had calmed down.
The cessation of hostilities will apply to all of Syria, except for areas where the so-called Islamic State and another armed group, Jabat al-Nusra, operate, as well as terrorist groups already designated by the Security Council.
The co-chairs of the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG) – Russia and the United States – will be responsible for addressing violations, not the U.N.
Obama said the United States will do everything it can to make the agreement hold.
Friday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States has received assurances from Russia that it would not launch strikes against the "moderate opposition" in Syria after the truce takes effect. He said it is "put up or shut up time" for Russia to show whether it is serious about stopping the fighting.
Comments
Does this sound like the "CoH" is largely holding....all Assad and Russian military actions yesterday and there were over 20 being reported clearly were directed against the FSA....not a single Assad action against either JaN and or IS....was reported. As it was only the US that flew air strikes to support YPG in a fight against IS....
DAY TWO.....does this appear to be the "CoH is largely holding"...we have seen the same exact words used in the Minsk 2 so called ceasefire "is largely holding" this is definitely not a cease firing by the Russians....
This is just from the morning reports coming out of Syria.....
Aleppo Airstrikes on Kafr Bissin
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.270573&lon=36.998477&z=15&m=b …
News
#Russian air strikes resume on #Babis and #Huraytan, N-W of #Aleppo.
Ceasefire collapsing totally unprovoked.
pic.twitter.com/BpuWH47BSZ
On 1st day of "ceasefire," Syrian Network of Human Rights (SNHR) documented at least 28 civilians killed by regime, among them 6 children.
Another Assad shelling allowed by Russians of an IDP camp on the Turkeish border......
SCD reported yesterday FEB 27, #SAA/#RUSSIA shelling on #IDP in #Latakia cs #Syria/#TURKEY borders
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...71052039708490 …
Airstrikes in Hirbnafsah in northern #Homs now
Russia terminate cease fire in #Syria -several suburbs of #Aleppo hit by airstrikes this morning
Syrian commandos seize strategic hilltop overlooking Turkey http://bit.ly/21AiJkv #Latakia Not confirmed
Russian warplanes have struck town of Daarit Iza in rural #Aleppo twice this morning so far.
Russian jets hit several Aleppo towns this morning including Qubtan al-Jabal and Darat Izza.
BREAKINGNEWS
Day 2 of the "ceasefire" starts with air strikes on #KafrHamra and #Anadan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy8Rb8-yVUo …
Also in #Quneitra province, artillery, heavy mashine gun and mortar shelling of rebel-held #Hamidiyah is reported.
In #Idlib province, #Assad troops resumed their shelling and ground troops advance on #Al_Najeya.
BREAKING
A #Russian Su-34 in the area west of #Aleppo, hit by 5 air strikes so far today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgU1g9rJyvA …
Jet was filmed over #Darat_Izza in the same hour, this very town, Anadan and Kafr Hamra (only 17 and 20 km away) were hit.
Footage
Aftermath of another air strike on #Darat_Izza west of #Aleppo this morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWj01Xrkz20 …
Both towns were previously hit hundreds of times by #Russia's jets during the last months.
The #Russia|ns maps makers. Putting Nusra Front #JN flags In #Darayya, To justify shelling them.
Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins ·
Claims of a breach in the Syria truce in Rastan, Homs by pro-Assad forces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHpMo5EqizQ …
More reports coming from resuming pro-#Assad army operations in #Latakia and shelling of the #Idlib province border.
In the last two years I have learned intensively just how Russia uses it's info war to support it's political war against the US an it is a war whether Obama wants it or not.
Russian lying is a way of life for them and the difficult problem now is that they now totally believe their own lies and I have been saying this since Crimea. A so called "altered state of political reality".....
We now have the first true "grey war" in the 21st century and Obama has failed badly in leading the US against it...in some cases one has to wonder does he really care or does he as CinC want the US to lose it??
BUT to see since the Geneva and Munich 1938 Syrian meetings the US and the UN actually adopted openly the willingness to match the Russians with their own version of lying...that I never anticipated BUT if one really thinks about it...it does explain why the US has been utterly so lax in pushing back on Russian info warfare directed at it.....
If we look at the entire VOA article here it is one super large act of disinformation put out to make things look and sound great for the Obama WH and the UN....
Am amazed that VOA after DAY TWO into the truce did not report that it had been broken multiple times with the pace of violations picking up to include an actual Russian air strike caught on video ALL the WHILE Russian MoD stating we are not bombing.
Does in fact 28 killed civilians and 6 of them children sound like a "ceasefire is holding"......
Strangely we heard the same thing with the Minsk 2 agreement ceasefire ....
the US and the West keeps saying over and over just as this article does...."the ceasefire is largely holding" all the while Ukrainian UAF just keeps on losing 2-4 soldiers daily as WIA/KIAs....in that so called "ceasefire" also pushed by the Russians.
A ceasefire in Websters means total ceasing of all fire.....it has neither stopped in eastern Ukraine and it has not stopped in Syria and to think over wise means one is deluding ones self.
The utter farce behind the use of JaN by the Russians is blatant but not called out by the US...why is that...Russia keeps right on striking FSA positons and placing a JaN flag on the towns they strike on their latest maps ALL the while knowing that JaN has completely pulled themselves out of the fight and disengaged from all towns an villages they were in and have literally parked themselves in a desolate area AND made that KNOWN to one and all.
BTW...JaN openly pulled all their fighters and equipment and ran a large number of convoys into their new desolate home base WITHOUT a single US or Russian air strike hitting them and even on DAY TWO of the so called ceasefire not a single air strike has hit them...WHY is that???
YET the US says not a word when Russia even today directly bombs FSA held positions ALL the while knowing JaN is nowhere in the area.
Either US intelligence is so bad that they do not know this OR in fact Obama wants the anti Assad opposition destroyed....a force that has the only true capability of destroy IS....Sunni's destroying IS is the best possible world....YET we back Kurds bent on ethnic cleansing.
IF this is the US FP then state it clearly and not dance around it and openly then state we are fully supporting Russian non linear warfare against ourselves and we believe in being attacked.
Right now in DAY TWO there has not been a single humanitarian aid supply convoy go into any of the (470K) besieged Sunni towns/villages and or hard to get to locations...REGARDLESS of the UN lying statements...
The UN did drop 21 tons this week...THEN lied to cover up the fact that all 21 tons were clearly and cleanly dropped by Russian pilots and aircraft directly into the hands of the Assad NDF Bde...NOT to the starving civilians.
YET UN stated the entire load had been lost, damaged or fell into a minefield....
Kerry lied as well has his DoS spokesperson when they stated for the press that SEVEN loads were going out and that THREE had been delivered....BUT could not provide a single detail of the deliveries for the press.
The portion of this article below is the most perfect example of US sponsored disinformation I have seen in the last weeks.....
QUOTE:
“Saturday will be critical,” de Mistura told the council via a video link from Geneva. “No doubt there will be no shortage of attempts to undermine this process. We are ready for it – we should not be impressed, we should not be overly concerned.”
He said after the meeting that a report he received at three minutes after midnight Damascus time indicated that both Darayya and Damascus had calmed down.
The cessation of hostilities will apply to all of Syria, except for areas where the so-called Islamic State and another armed group, Jabat al-Nusra, operate, as well as terrorist groups already designated by the Security Council.
The co-chairs of the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG) – Russia and the United States – will be responsible for addressing violations, not the U.N.
Obama said the United States will do everything it can to make the agreement hold.
Friday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States has received assurances from Russia that it would not launch strikes against the "moderate opposition" in Syria after the truce takes effect. He said it is "put up or shut up time" for Russia to show whether it is serious about stopping the fighting.
UNQUOTE:
THE most egregious disinformation comes again fro the DoS spokesperson in the para "the US had received assurances from Russia that it would not launch strikes against moderate opposition".....WHAT a farce of a statement.
All Russian and Assad military actions yesterday and continuing into today which they are in fact continuing and are being video documented.....AND Russian bombing strikes on FSA positions TODAT are clearly striking "moderate opposition positions"......
Where is the US strong response to the so called "Russia reassurance" that were basically lies.......
NOWHERE to be seen....thus reinforcing the SWJ article that stated...."Obama is simply standing by"
BUT to now go into a massive disinformation campaign to fog/confuse the view for the US public and to create the impression they are working hard on the Syrian problem....I expect that from Russian propaganda but not from Obama propaganda directed clearly at the US general public in the believe we are not capable to make decisions if the correct information is provided.....
In over 70 years this has got to be the worst US President,NSC and DoS in the current US history......
Just a thought and using even Obama's own words...."we will be doing everything possible to make this hold"..is the US actually doing this on DAY TWO......LIE or TRUTH?
Based on the reality seen in reporting out of Syria and up to a portion of DAY TWO.......actually a lie.....
Not a single word out of this WH, NSC, or DoS to the Russian blatant violations and the misuse of their air strike JaN flags on their map to cover up their lies...
This cannot be the US FP in the ME....but sorry to say it is.....