NEW PEACE TALKS DATE SET
Syrian truce shaken by regime strikes
Beirut — Syrian warplanes launched strikes in several parts of the country on Wednesday despite a fragile truce, a monitor said, as Russia confirmed a January 23 date for new peace talks. The negotiations, to be held in the Kazakh capital Astana, are intended to build on a ceasefire in effect since late December, brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey. The truce has brought quiet to large parts of the country, but has been threatened by continuing violence, particularly near the capital Damascus. Overnight and into Wednesday, government warplanes hit opposition areas in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, as well as the eastern Ghouta region near the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The overnight strikes in Idlib, in the northwest of the country, targeted positions belonging to former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, which is not party to the ceasefire, the Observatory said. The strikes on the town of Taftanaz killed three rebels from an I...
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