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Syria war: Russia, US accuse each other of ceasefire violations

By Angela Dewan, Joshua Berlinger and Tim Hume, CNN
Updated 1440 GMT (2240 HKT) September 15, 2016

(CNN) Russia's Defense Ministry said Thursday the

Story highlights
NEW: Russia says US has upped attacks on
residential areas
NEW: US says violations occurring on both
sides

United States was not fulfilling its obligations under the

Syrian ceasefire agreement, as Moscow and Washington
pointed fingers at each other for violating what had
appeared to be a peaceful lull in fighting.
In a statement, the Russian ministry said that US-led

"moderate opposition forces" had increased the "number of attacks on residential

neighborhoods," claiming that at the end of the third day of the current cessation "only the Syrian
army observes silence mode."

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The current ceasefire was called so that desperately needed humanitarian aid could be delivered.
Syria: Girl, 10, left for dead in rubble, and then ...
"From the first minute Russia's been meeting its obligations to enforce the cessation of hostilities
in Syria," the defense ministry said in the statement.
"At the same time we're puzzled by the statements made by various representatives of the US
State Department and the Pentagon about the prospects of Russia fulfilling the agreements
reached on Syria."
"Moreover, it seems that the goal of Washington's 'verbal veil' is the intention to hide noncompliance with its part of the obligations. First of all, on the separation of forces of 'moderate
opposition' and terrorists."

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Moment of joy for Aleppo's children 00:50

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner Toner acknowledged Wednesday that the situation
hadn't been perfect.
"We've seen violations by both sides," he said, adding, "we're continuing to monitor this very
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"We've seen violations by both sides," he said, adding, "we're continuing to monitor this very
closely."

Calm in Aleppo
CNN Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen reached the government-controlled
part of Aleppo on Thursday and said the area was as calm as he'd ever seen it. He visited an area
that was the scene of intense shelling just before the ceasefire went into effect, where buildings
had been reduced to rubble.
He spoke to residents there, who said they were happy for the reprieve from the fighting but were
not necessarily optimistic the ceasefire would hold.

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"This ceasefire was brought about by outside powers -- it was brought about by the United
States and Russia, and then basically the warring parties here were told that they are to abide by
the ceasefire, so its very, very fragile," Pleitgen said.

250 ISIS fighters killed

The tenuous calm appeared to be largely holding, after an agreement by both parties to extend
the deal for another 48 hours.
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But there have been a handful of violations on both sides, Toner acknowledged.
"Incidents are still far below those observed before September 12. We continue to receive reports
of incidents -- on the part of both the opposition and the Assad regime -- and encourage all
parties to honor their commitment to bring fighting to an end. We also call on all parties with
influence over the Syrian regime to ensure all measures are taken to immediately facilitate
access for UN humanitarian convoys," he said.
The ceasefire deal calls for
a halt to the violence
between the Syrian regime
and rebel forces, but it
does not cover militant
groups considered
terrorists, such as ISIS and
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham,
formerly known as al
Nusra Front.
Russia's warplanes
Related Article: 'Death Road' stands in way of crucial aid to eastern Aleppo
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attacked a group of ISIS

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militants north of Palmyra, killing 250 terrorists, Viktor Poznikhir, the first deputy chief of the
General Staff's main operations directorate, told the media Wednesday.
"The Russians are authorized to be striking those targets," says Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a CNN
military analyst. "That area is an ISIS stronghold and they're going to have to clear that area out
before anybody makes any move on Raqqa, especially from the south."
It's not clear if those strikes were carried out unilaterally or in coordination with the US.

Aid still on hold

But convoys still haven't been able to get humanitarian aid to those in need -- a driving factor for
establishing the ceasefire in the first place. Aid delivery is also an important way to judge if a
ceasefire is successful.
At a news conference in Geneva Thursday, UN Special
Envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura and his special
adviser, Jan Egeland, said they believed they could
obtain permits to deliver the aid.
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"We can get the permits today and they can come
tomorrow morning, and it's only the time it takes to load
Related Article: 'Death Road' stands in
way of crucial aid to eastern Aleppo

the trucks," Egeland told reporters.

He said that 20 trucks had already passed the buffer
zone between Turkey and Syria, and that drivers had

been waiting in the zone for 48 hours.

The new Red Scare? Russia ups role in world events, US elections
"Because these are cross-line convoys, these are cross-frontline convoys, checkpoints," Egeland
said, adding that "armed men will block the drivers from reaching women and children" in need if
the proper permits were not presented.
De Mistura said a contested highway into eastern Aleppo, Castello Road, had "special status"
under the ceasefire agreement, meaning its use would need to be negotiated separately for the
delivery of aid. The highway, nicknamed "Death Road," cuts through Aleppo and is considered
the only route into the rebel-held east of the city, an area that has been in desperate need of aid
since regime forces virtually cut it off in July.

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If truce holds...
Under the terms of the deal, if the peace holds for seven
days, Russia and the United States will establish a Joint
Implementation Center, or JIC, for cooperation on military
operations in Syria targeting terror groups.
Once the JIC is established, the Syrian government will be
barred from conducting air operations in areas where the

"If this agreement fails, the Syrian

Air Force will know where to go to
kill all of those rebels that we've
been supporting."
Lt. Col. Rick Francona (retired)

JIC is active.
But if cooperation falls apart after the JIC is implemented, that could pose a whole new set of
problems for the US, according to Francona.
"We're going to be revealing sources and methods -- there's no way to get around that,"
Francona said.
"They'll be able to see where we believe -- and where we will know -- that those opposition
groups that are allied with the United States are, because we're going to put them on a 'do not
bomb' list. But I guarantee you ... that list is going to Damascus very, very quickly. And if this
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agreement fails, the Syrian Air Force will know where to go to kill all of those rebels that we've
been supporting."
Syria's Foreign Ministry has said aid can only be delivered to Aleppo if it is coordinated through
the government and United Nations -- especially aid coming from Turkey.
Nevertheless, the ceasefire appears to have offered a respite in violence in the five-year civil war
that's killed 430,000 people, according to one estimate, and touched off an international refugee
crisis.
On Eid al-Adha, Syria's children laugh again
The situation remained mostly quiet in Aleppo, excluding a few incidents near the city, according
to an Aleppo Media Center activist.
CNN's Vasco Cotovio, Hamdi Alkhshali, Sebastian Shukla, Schams Elwazer, and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
Journalist Angela Dewan wrote from London.

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