Militants violated ceasefire 28 times in 24 hrs, says Russia

Moscow: Russia on Sunday claimed that militants violated ceasefire 28 times in Syria in the past 24 hours.

However, Turkey has claimed the ceasefire was violated 36 times, reported Sputnik.

“The Russian party of the Russia-Turkey joint commission reviewing issues, related to the violations of the ceasefire, has registered 28 cases of firing: 10 in the province of Latakia, nine in Idlib, five in Aleppo, and four in Hama.

The Turkish side has registered six cases of ceasefire violations: three in the province of Idlib and three in Aleppo,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily bulletin.

Syrian government early this month signed a truce in the northwestern region of Idlib on a condition that a ‘Turkish-Russian buffer zone is implemented.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran are the guarantors of the ceasefire in the conflict-ravaged Syria.

Syria has been marred by civil war since 2011.

More than 370,000 people have been killed and millions were displaced in Syria and abroad since the beginning of the Syrian war in March 2011.

The Russian-backed offensive has so far failed to make major inroads into rebel territory in northern Hama and southern Idlib provinces, where the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) is putting up fierce resistance in their last remaining bastion in Syria.

However, Moscow and the Syrian army have repeatedly denied allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas or any campaign to paralyse the daily life in rebel-held areas.

Russia has blamed the terrorist group for breaking a truce by hitting government-held areas and said Turkey has failed to live up to its obligations under a deal brokered last year which created a buffer zone in the area that obliges it to push out rebels.

According to the United Nations, nearly half of the estimated three million inhabitants in northwest Syria – including Idlib province and parts of neighbouring provinces – had already fled the fighting and moved to areas near the border with Turkey.