The psychopath Baschar al-Assad couldn’t live for a day without killing his own people. Syrian rebels in the country’s northwest said they came under attack from government ground forces at 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Saturday in what they called a breach of a cessation of hostilities plan that came into effect at midnight. Assad forces breach the ceasefire against the Free Syrian Army.
Three fighters from the rebel Second Coastal Division were killed while repelling the attack in the Jabal Turkman area near the Turkish border in Latakia province, Fadi Ahmad, spokesman for the affiliated First Coastal Division, told Reuters.
The First and Second Coastal Divisions are part of a loose alliance of rebel groups known as the Free Syrian Army.
The Syrian military could not immediately be reached for comment. The Syrian government has said it will respect the agreement drawn up by Russia and the United States, but has said it will continue to fight the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and ISIS which are not covered by the deal.
A monitoring group and the United Nations reported only isolated fire in western Syria after the temporary ceasefire began at midnight on Saturday.
The United Nations said it expected breaches in the temporary truce and urged restraint in curbing any new outbreaks of fighting.
“Let’s pray that this works because frankly this is the best opportunity we can imagine the Syrian people has had for the last five years in order to see something better and hopefully something related to peace,” said U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.
Damascus and its ally Russia, as well as a range of insurgent groups fighting against them, have said they would take part in the plan.
The temporary truce does not apply to ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front, and the Syrian government and Moscow have said they will not halt combat against those militants. Other rebels seen as moderates by the West say they fear this will be used to justify attacks on them.
Nusra Front, one of Syria’s most powerful Islamist rebel groups, on Friday urged insurgents to intensify their attacks on President Bashar al-Assad and his allies, adding to dangers facing the agreement.
The Syrian civil war, which began with peaceful protesters marching against the terror and the tyranny of the Assad regime, has cost already 470,000 lives according to the latest and most accurate figures published by the New York Times.
Reuters contributed to this article.
Assad Forces Breach the Ceasefire Against FSA
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