Activists accuse Syrian forces of breaching Eastern Ghouta ceasefire

Syrian activists said Sunday that the Syrian government forces carried out several violations to a ceasefire that went into force a day earlier in the Eastern Ghouta region east of the capital Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said airstrikes targeted the towns of Douma and Ayn Tarma area in Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, adding that the Syrian forces also fired several shells on other areas in that region on Saturday, the day when the ceasefire went into effect.

A day earlier, the Syrian army declared a ceasefire in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus starting at noon time Saturday.

The army said that any violation of the ceasefire will be responded to accordingly, stopping short of giving details on how long the ceasefire will last.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that its officials had signed a deal with moderate Syrian opposition at peace talks in Cairo on how a safe zone near Damascus will function.

Still the ceasefire is holding in Eastern Ghouta, as the al-Qaida-linked militants were excluded, which explains the continued operations in parts of Eastern Ghouta.

Additionally, the Syrian army mentioned in its statement that the ceasefire includes "areas of Eastern Ghouta," not the entire region there.

The opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta is in one of four proposed "de-escalation zones" designated in an agreement reached by Syrian government allies Iran and Russia and opposition backer Turkey in May.

source: xinhua