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Two-day humanitarian truce agreed in Syria's Darayya

Wednesday, 01 June 2016 12:19 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 01 June 2016 12:19 PM ]

This photo taken on February 23, 2016 shows a Red Crescent convoy of humanitarian aid arriving in Kafr Batna, in the militants-held Eastern Ghouta area, on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. (AFP photo)

A two-day ceasefire has been agreed in the Syrian town of Darayya near the capital, Damascus, starting from Wednesday to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the residents.

"On the initiative of Russia and in agreement with the leadership of Syria and the American side a 'regime of silence' has been introduced for 48 hours on June 1 2016 from 00:01 am in the settlement of Darayya to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the population," said Lieutenant General Sergei Kuralenko, the head of the Russian coordination center in Syria.

On May 24, Russia called for a three-day regime of silence in the conflict zones of Eastern Ghouta and Darayya near Damascus, urging the US to push militants under its influence to join the truce.

Syrian government forces patrol the city of Darayya, southwest of the capital, Damascus, on February 24, 2016. (AFP photo)

Syria has been gripped by a foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

A ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia went into effect on February 27 in Syria, but it does not apply to Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups.

The Syrian army has vowed to press ahead with its counter-terror military operations and drive terrorists out of their major positions.

Since September 30, 2015, Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Syrian government’s request.

The strikes have killed hundreds of Daesh terrorists and other foreign-backed militants and inflicted heavy material damage on them.

The US and its allies have also been carrying out airstrikes in Syria purportedly against Daesh positions since September 2014. The Syrian government says the airstrikes have targeted the country's infrastructure in many instances and done little to stop the advances of terrorists.

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