A ceasefire deal between the Syrian government and rebels has gone into effect at midnight local time. The deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, is a potential major breakthrough after nearly six years of civil war.
Image: Reuters/O. Sanadiki
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Gunfire reported after Syria ceasefire
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A "fragile" nationwide ceasefire deal between the Syrian government and main opposition groups went into effect at midnight local time (2200 UTC) on Friday.
Although the truce held in most parts of the country, some fighting broke out near a Christian town in central Hama province, with Islamist factions fighting government forces, monitors and a rebel official said. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been isolated reports of gunfire further south less than two hours after the truce began.
Opposition activist Mazen al-Shami told The Associated Press that the situation became "very calm" half an hour before midnight in the suburbs around Damascus.
Russia, Turkey and Iran are set to act as guarantors for the deal that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced earlier on Thursday. He said the two sides had expressed a readiness to start peace talks when signing the truce deal, which had been brokered by Turkey and Russia.
Putin on Syria ceasefire: 'A notable result of our joint efforts'
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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the ceasefire would include about 60,000 rebel fighters. The Syrian National Coalition, a main opposition coalition backed by the West, has welcomed the deal and called on all rebel fighters to abide by the truce.
The truce excludes the militant "Islamic State" (IS) group and the formerly al-Qaeda-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, the Syrian army said in a statement.
"The agreements reached are, of course, fragile, need a special attention and involvement... But after all, this is a notable result of our joint work, efforts by the defense and foreign ministries, our partners in the regions," Putin said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the agreement as a "historic opportunity" to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Putin said that if the truce holds, it will be followed by peace talks next month in Kazakhstan between the Syrian government and opposition groups.
US shut out of negotiations
Friday's truce is the third nationwide ceasefire deal agreed in Syria this year, and comes one week after troops aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regained full control of Aleppo from rebel fighters.
The previous two ceasefires, negotiated by the US and Russia, held for only brief periods and allowed for humanitarian aid deliveries or for people to flee. The current deal does not involve the US or the United Nations.
Despite not being included in negotiations for the new deal, the US State Department called the announcement of the truce "a positive development."
Deep divisions over the role of Assad in any political transition still remain between Turkey, the West and the Arab Gulf states on one side, and Russia and Iran on the other.
rs/cmk (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
How the Syrian civil war began - and gave 'Islamic State' room to grow
Although the emergence of "IS" prompted international intervention in Syria, the jihadist group entered the conflict late in the game. DW examines how the war created space for this terrorist group to expand.
Image: AP
The "Arab Spring" effect
In 2011, as regimes crumble across the region, tens of thousands of Syrians take to the streets to protest against corruption, high unemployment and soaring food prices. The Syrian government responds with live ammunition, claiming some 400 lives by May.
Image: dapd
Condemnation without consensus
At the urging of Western countries, the UN Security Council condemns the violent crackdown. The EU and US implement an arms embargo, visa bans and asset freezes in the months that follow. With the backing of the Arab League, calls eventually grow for the Syrian president's departure. But not all UN members agree with this demand.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
Assad refuses to back down
Bashar al-Assad - who has been in power since the death of his father in 2000 - sees his reputation wane with the continuing unrest. He refuses to end decades-long emergency rule, which allows for surveillance and interrogation. Russia backs its ally, supplying weapons and vetoing UN resolutions on Syria multiple times.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Badawi
The opposition gets organized
By the end of the year, human rights groups and the UN have evidence of human rights abuses. Civilians and military deserters are slowly beginning to organize themselves to fight back against government forces, which have been targeting dissidents. More than 5,000 have died so far in the fighting. It will take another six months before the UN acknowledges that a war is taking place on Syrian soil.
Image: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
Outside intervention
In September 2012, Iran confirms that it has fighters on the ground in Syria - a fact long denied by Damascus. The presence of allied troops underscores the hesitance of the US and other Western powers to intervene in the conflict. The US, stung by failed interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, sees dialogue as the only reasonable solution.
Image: AP
Fleeing the conflict
As the death toll nears 100,000, the number of refugees in neighboring countries - such as Turkey and Jordan - hits one million. That number will double by September 2013. The West and the Arab League have seen all attempts at a transitional government fail in the two years of war, watching as fighting spills over into Turkey and Lebanon. They fear Assad will stay in power by any means possible.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
No united front against Assad
Assad has long claimed he's combatting terrorists. But it's not until the second year of war that the fragmented Free Syrian Army is definitely known to include radical extremists. The group Al-Nusra Front pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, further splintering the opposition.
Image: Reuters/A. Abdullah
From brute force to chemical warfare
In June 2013, the White House says it has evidence that Assad has been using sarin nerve gas on civilians - a report later backed by the UN. The discovery pushes US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders toward considering the use of military force. However, Russia's proposal to remove the chemical weapons ultimately wins out.
Image: Reuters
Islamic State emerges
Reports of a new jihadist group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) emerge in the final weeks of 2013. Taking land in northern Syria and Iraq, the group sparks infighting among the opposition, with some 500 dead by early 2014. The unexpected emergence of IS ultimately draws the US, France, Saudi Arabia and other nations into the war.
