Three more settlements in Syria have joined the ceasefire over the past day, the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties said in its regular daily news bulletin on Friday.
“During the day reconciliation agreements were signed with the settlements of Al-Sanaymen and Toubne in the province of Daraa, and al-Mansur in the province of al-Quneitra,” the center said.
The overall number of Syrian settlements that have joined the reconciliation process has reached 1,473. The number of populated localities liberated by Syrian government troops from Islamic State militants since January 1, 2017 has reached 236.
As follows from the bulletin, government troops gained control of an area of 60 square kilometers. The overall area liberated from militants stands at 4,602.2 square kilometers.
Russian officers in the Russian-Turkish joint commission set up to monitor ceasefire violations in Syria reported 12 ceasefire violations. Turkish officers reported 15 violations but the Russian side found no confirmation to any of them.
The nationwide ceasefire came into force across Syria at midnight on December 30, 2016 under the agreement on a complex solution to the Syria crisis. Syrian government forces and groups of armed opposition with an overall strength of more than 60,000 have joined the agreement. Russia and Turkey act as the ceasefire guarantors. Ceasefire does not cover terrorist groups, such as Islamic State.
The Russian Defense Ministry declared the establishment of the reconciliation center on February 23, 2016. It is headquartered at the Hmeimim air base, Latakia province. The center was set up in line with agreements reached by Russia and the United States to facilitate the negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition and to organize humanitarian deliveries.