HOMS (Sputnik) – Armed militants have violated the "silent" period in the Syrian city of Aleppo, opening fire in a Christian district, a militia source told RIA Novosti.
"Terrorists fired seven bombs in Midan [neighbourhood] in the first hour after the start of the ‘silence,’ two residential buildings were damaged, there are injuries among civilians," the source said.
On Wednesday, the governments of the United States and Russia agreed on a deal to extend the cessation of hostilities in Syria to the Aleppo Governorate. The "silent" period in Aleppo started at 00:01 local time on Thursday (21:01 GMT on Wednesday) and will last for 48 hours.
On Wednesday, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation at the Hmeymim airbase reported that al-Nusra Front militants were carrying out attacks in northwestern parts of Aleppo. According to the reconciliation center, the attacks have led to casualties and injuries among civilians.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front.
A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. Daesh and al-Nusra Front, both outlawed in Russia, were not part of the deal. Despite the ceasefire agreement, violence has escalated in Syria in recent weeks, especially in the northern Aleppo region.
