Free Syrian Army Should Expand Battle Against al-Nusra Front - Russian Military

According to the head of the Russian delegation at Astana talks, the Free Syrian Army should expand its battle against al-Nusra Front.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The armed Syrian opposition's battle against al-Nusra Front militants should extend from northern Syria into the Arab republic's southern and central regions, the head of the Russian delegation in Astana said Monday.

"A number of Free Syrian Army units are actively fighting against al-Nusra Front forces in Aleppo and Idlib provinces," Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov told the Rossiya-24 broadcaster.

Gadzhimagomedov, the deputy head of the Russian Armed Forces' main operational department, added that the delegation believes "this work should be carried out both in southern Syria and in the central provinces."

Experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran delineated on maps areas of Syria controlled by al-Nusra Front militant group and moderate opposition, Gadzhimagomedov said.

Earlier in the day, the first session of the Syria ceasefire regime monitoring joint task force (JTF), bringing together experts from Russia, Iran and Turkey, concluded in Astana.

"We delineated the areas controlled by the Daesh militant group and the areas controlled by the moderate opposition at the last meeting. During this meeting, we elaborated the division of areas where al-Nusra Front is active. Our opinions do not coincide on everything. In general, we managed to have these regions put on a map," Gadzhimagomedov said.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, banned in a range of countries, including Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in December that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups had reached an agreement on a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and on readiness to start peace talks.