U.S., Russia broker Aleppo truce, Syrian army says only for 48 hours

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sporadic violence persisted in Aleppo on Wednesday, May 4 as U.S. officials announced an agreement had been reached with Russia to extend Syria's fragile ceasefire to the deeply contested northern city. The Syrian military said the truce would last only 48 hours, the Associated Press reports.

The agreement was reached late Tuesday and took effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday Damascus time (7 a.m. EDT), Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Since the truce began, "we have seen an overall decrease in violence ... even though there are some reports of continued fighting in some locations, which does not surprise us because it only went into effect one minute after midnight," Kerry said.

"We expect all the parties ... to fully abide by the renewed cessation in Aleppo. That means the regime and the opposition alike," he told reporters. "We look to Russia ... to press for the regime's compliance with this effort and the United States will do its part with respect to the opposition."

The U.S. and Russia have been working to salvage the cease-fire they brokered together, which held surprisingly well until two weeks ago amid an alarming uptick of violence around Aleppo. Shells slammed into hospitals and residential areas on both sides of the divided city, plunging it into renewed violence that quickly escalated to levels unseen in months, AP says.

The Syrian military confirmed the truce but said it would not take effect until 12:01 a.m. Thursday and last for only 48 hours. It did not elaborate and there was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

Rebels fighting in Aleppo did not immediately react to the news. But Kurdish forces said the besieged, predominantly Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud appeared to be excluded, saying that opposition forces shelled the district Wednesday evening, killing one person and wounding five.