Syrian military declares end to week-old cease-fire
For the first time in nearly a week, strikes hit rebel-held areas
of Aleppo following a U.S.-led raid that killed scores of Syrian regime soldiers. The US has said it believed it was striking Islamic State group fighters. Video provided by AFP Newslook
Syria's military declared an end Monday to a week-old cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States following violations on all sides, including a U.S.-led coalition airstrike that mistakenly killed dozens of Syrian soldiers.
Syria’s military blamed rebel groups for undermining the cease-fire that aimed to bring the country's bloody five-year civil war to an end.
State Department spokesman John Kirby noted the Syrian military's comment but pointed out "our arrangement is with Russia, which is responsible for the Syrian regime's compliance, so we expect Russia to clarify their position."
He said the United States is prepared to extend the cease-fire, "while working to strengthen it and expand deliveries of assistance."
The Syrian military said in a statement that “armed terrorist groups” repeatedly violated the cease-fire that went into effect on Sept. 12, the Associated Press reported. The military said the armed groups also took advantage of the truce to mobilize and arm themselves while attacking government-held areas.
Rebel groups countered by accusing the Syrian government of violating the cease-fire, the AP said. The United Nations said the Syrian government has obstructed the delivery of aid, a key component of the deal.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is consulting with Russia on the fate of the cease-fire, and more information will come later Monday. He said humanitarian aid would travel Monday to eight locations in Syria, but talks with Russian diplomats in Geneva are ongoing.
As part of the truce agreement, Russia and the United States had said if the cease-fire lasted for seven days they would begin cooperating on military operations against the Islamic State and the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham — previously known as Nusra Front — in Syria.
Russian-U.S. cooperation now appears dead following Syrian government attacks on rebel-held neighborhoods over the weekend, the inability of aid convoys to reach besieged areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo and the apparently mistaken airstrikes on Saturday that killed at least 62 Syrian troops and wounded 100 more.
The Pentagon expressed regret for the airstrikes, which it said were meant to target Islamic State militants battling the Syrian troops. Instead, the militants gained an advantage from the airstrikes that included Australian, British and Danish warplanes.
Foreign affairs reporter Oren Dorell explains who is fighting whom in the five-year Syrian Civil War in two minutes. USA TODAY
Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military blamed Washington for sabotaging the deal, although he stopped short of saying the cease-fire and partnership was being abandoned. Rudskoi said repeated violations by opposition forces meant it was "meaningless for Syrian government forces to unilaterally observe the cease-fire."
Moscow supports Syrian President Bashar Assad in his battle to retain power, while the Obama administration wants him to step aside because of alleged atrocities against his own people.
