Free Syrian Army Reports 'Relative Calm' in Aleppo

Relative calm is observed in the Syrian province of Aleppo since the "silent" period entered into force at midnight local time, legal adviser to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) Osama Abu Zeid said Thursday.

DUBAI (Sputnik) – The governments of the United States and Russia agreed on Wednesday to extend the cessation of hostilities in Syria to Aleppo. The Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement later that a 48-hour regime silence would enter into force at 21:01 GMT Wednesday.

"The situation in Aleppo is relatively calm after the declaration of the "silent" period," Zeid told RIA Novosti.

A source in the Aleppo militia told RIA Novosti earlier that armed groups violated the "silent" period in the Aleppo city's Christian neighborhood of Midan "in the first hour after the start" of the period of silence.

The FSA was unable to confirm the source’s claims.

Al-Nusra Front terrorist group has continued shelling Aleppo for over a week, with the Russian reconciliation center at the Hmeymim air facility reporting casualties and injuries among civilians.

The US State Department acknowledged in late April that al-Nusra Front controls parts of Aleppo, saying that airstrikes on the terrorist group in that area are not violations of the ceasefire agreement.