IDLIB, Syria
A 48-hour ceasefire between the Syrian regime and rebel forces began at 6am Wednesday morning in three regions of the war-battered country, according to an Islamist opposition group.
The Ahrar ash-Sham Islamic Movement, a coalition of Islamic-leaning groups opposed to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, announced early Wednesday that the two-day truce had gone into effect between rebel and pro-government forces.
The ceasefire will apply to three regions of Syria, including the city of Zabadani in the Rif Dimashq province near the Lebanese border and the towns of Kefraya and Fua, both of which are located in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.
The ceasefire is meant to allow food and medical supplies to be delivered to civilian populations in the three areas.
Since early July, pro-Assad forces have launched repeated attacks on Zabadani, located some 45 kilometers northwest of capital Damascus.
Syria’s ongoing conflict, which has left the country divided between warring factions, began in early 2011 when the Assad regime responded with unexpected ferocity to protests that erupted as part of the “Arab Spring” uprisings.
Since then, roughly half of the country’s population has been displaced by the violence, with nearly four million Syrians now seeking refuge in neighboring countries, especially Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
