Fighting Continues After Syrian Army and Rebels Agree to Temporary Truce

Fighting and airstrikes continued in Syria on Thursday, despite the declaration of a three-day nationwide cease-fire the previous day, according to Reuters.

Both the Syrian government and a major Syrian opposition alliance agreed on Wednesday to a nationwide cease-fire that would span the three-day Eid holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. However, the main Syrian opposition group involved in peace negotiations and a monitoring group said that the truce had not been respected.

“The regime announced the cease-fire, but they did not commit to it. There has been a lot of shelling and bombing on Douma and Daraya (rebel-held towns near Damascus),” a spokesperson for the Syrian opposition delegation to the Geneva peace talks told Reuters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been both rebel and government shelling around Aleppo, and airstrikes had hit the northern Aleppo suburb. The monitoring group added that another five airstrikes hit the town of Jisr al-Shughour in rebel-held Idlib province, killing at least two children. Fighting also continued in the suburbs of Damascus, where the government and its allied forces continued fighting rebel group Jaish al-Islam for control of the town of Maydaa.

The Syrian army’s declaration for a truce was welcomed by U.S. secretary of state John Kerry, who said there was talk of trying to extend the cease-fire.

Putin and Obama Agree to Intensify Military Coordination in Syria

The United States and Russia agreed to increase their military coordination in Syria, after a phone call between Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Barack Obama, according to Agence France-Presse.

The military partnership between Washington and Moscow would see a renewed commitment between the two countries to defeat terrorist groups in Syria.

The leaders had “confirmed their commitment to defeating ISIL (ISIS) and the al-Nusra Front,” according to a White House statement.

On the call, Putin reportedly asked Obama to help separate moderate opposition groups from groups like the al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. Obama, on the other hand, stressed the need for progress toward a “genuine” political transition to end the conflict in Syria, and continuous humanitarian access.

The agreement comes less than a week after Washington proposed a plan for increased coordination with Moscow in Syria that would see U.S. forces working alongside Russian forces, in a campaign targeting Jabhat al-Nusra. In return, Russia would commit to putting pressure on the Syrian government to stop targeting U.S.-backed rebel groups.

Only Road Into Rebel-Held Aleppo Cut by Syrian Army Fire

Syrian government forces advanced on Thursday northwest of Aleppo in the Al-Mallah Farms area, cutting off the only road into rebel-held parts of Aleppo, Reuters reported.

Pro-government forces have the road, known as Castello Road, within firing range. Rebel officials told Reuters no one can get in or out of Aleppo now, and that rebel factions are calling for reinforcements to try to take back positions. The government forces also had heavy air cover in the night, rebels said.

The Syrian army’s advance toward Castello road comes after the military high command announced a nationwide cease-fire on Wednesday for the 72 hours of the Eid holiday, marking the end of the month of Ramadan.

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