Regime forces and the Iranian-backed militias continue to violate the ceasefire agreement in many areas across Syria, with violations intensifying as we come closer to the date for a new round of UN sponsored negotiations to be held in Geneva on February 20.
Activists and local news networks said they recorded no fewer than 28 breaches of the truce by regime forces and their allies on Sunday. A civilian was killed while many others were injured, including a child, amid attempts by regime forces to advance on rebel-held areas in some locations across Syria.
Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that 21 children were killed in violent attacks in Syria over the past week despite the declaration of a ceasefire agreement.
UNICEF regional director Gert Kabilir said that 30 people, including 16 children, were killed in Idlib as a result of acts of violence that took place over the weekend. He said that some of those killed were civilians who were displaced from the city of Aleppo on December 2016.
Kabilir pointed out that five other children were killed in Homs province, describing the latest spat of violence as the worst since the ceasefire agreement took effect on December 29, 2016. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)