Ceasefire in Syria

In the last five years since 2010, over 270,000 Syrians have been killed in a civil war between the government forces of President Bashar Assad and over a hundred rebel forces and extremist groups. Complicating the problem is Russia’s support for Assad, while various rebel forces are backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab states. Then there are the jihadist forces, notably the Islamic State or Daesh and the Nusra Front or Jabhat al Nusra which is supported by still another jihadist group, the al-Qaeda. Last Monday, February 22, the US and Russia managed to come to an agreement, along with most of the fighting forces and their foreign backers, for a ceasefire. The United Nations Security Council promptly approved a resolution endorsing the ceasefire. It went into effect last Saturday, February 27. The ceasefire will allow the resumption of peace talks on Monday, March 7, in [...]