(Zaman Al Wasl)- The U.S.-led coalition staged deadly air strikes on the ISIS-held Raqqa city on Wednesday, killing and wounding at least 70 people as the Kurdish-led forces wage major offensive on the radical group northeast the de-facto capital, local activists said.
Pro-ISIS news feeds said Russia also had conducted air strikes on Raqqa, killing seven people.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they were under fierce regime attack near the Turkish border despite the agreement and a representative cast doubt on whether U.N.-backed peace talks would go ahead on March 9 as planned.
The agreement drawn up by the United States and Russia came into effect on Saturday and has slowed but not entirely stopped a conflict that has been going on for almost five years. Both the government and rebels have accused each other of violations.
The agreement does not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Nusra Front, which is widely deployed in opposition areas.
A report by the Institute for the Study of War showed Russian strikes in support of government forces and their allies had hit a number of areas in Aleppo, Idlib, Homs and Hama provinces since the 'cessation of hostilities' truce deal took effect.
While battling Syrian insurgent groups in Aleppo province, the YPG is also fighting Islamic State with the help of a U.S.-led Syrian Democratic Forces further east. The group said on Wednesday that 43 of its fighters were killed in an Islamic State attack on two towns near the Turkish border at the weekend.
The United Nations said on Tuesday a new attempt at peace talks would begin on March 9 in Geneva, urging warring sides to ensure the cessation agreement take hold to allow them to come to the table.
But opposition official George Sabra said the date for a resumption of talks remained "hypothetical" as long as the truce did not fulfil humanitarian demands including a release of detainees held by the government.
"What is the value of a truce if its overseers - meaning America and Russia - do not push all sides to abide by it?" Sabra told Arabic news channel Arabiya al-Hadath on Wednesday. (With Reuters)
Pro-ISIS news feeds said Russia also had conducted air strikes on Raqqa, killing seven people.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they were under fierce regime attack near the Turkish border despite the agreement and a representative cast doubt on whether U.N.-backed peace talks would go ahead on March 9 as planned.
The agreement drawn up by the United States and Russia came into effect on Saturday and has slowed but not entirely stopped a conflict that has been going on for almost five years. Both the government and rebels have accused each other of violations.
The agreement does not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Nusra Front, which is widely deployed in opposition areas.
A report by the Institute for the Study of War showed Russian strikes in support of government forces and their allies had hit a number of areas in Aleppo, Idlib, Homs and Hama provinces since the 'cessation of hostilities' truce deal took effect.
While battling Syrian insurgent groups in Aleppo province, the YPG is also fighting Islamic State with the help of a U.S.-led Syrian Democratic Forces further east. The group said on Wednesday that 43 of its fighters were killed in an Islamic State attack on two towns near the Turkish border at the weekend.
The United Nations said on Tuesday a new attempt at peace talks would begin on March 9 in Geneva, urging warring sides to ensure the cessation agreement take hold to allow them to come to the table.
But opposition official George Sabra said the date for a resumption of talks remained "hypothetical" as long as the truce did not fulfil humanitarian demands including a release of detainees held by the government.
"What is the value of a truce if its overseers - meaning America and Russia - do not push all sides to abide by it?" Sabra told Arabic news channel Arabiya al-Hadath on Wednesday. (With Reuters)
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