Syria: Militants violated ceasefire 28 times in 24 hour, says Russia

Russia on Thursday claimed that militants violated ceasefire 28 times in the Syrian provinces of Hama, Idlib, Aleppo and Latakia in the past 24 hours.

However, Turkey has claimed the ceasefire was violated 36 times, reported Sputnik.

"The Russian party of the Russia-Turkey joint commission reviewing issues related to violations of the ceasefire regime has registered 28 cases of firing, namely 12 in the province of Aleppo, one in Idlib and 15 in Latakia. The Turkish side has registered 36 cases of ceasefire violations, namely 18 in the province of Idlib, two in Latakia and 16 in Hama," the ministry said in its daily bulletin," the head of the Russian centre for Syrian reconciliation Major General Alexei Bakin told reporters on Thursday, adding that ceasefire violations in the Idlib de-escalation zone continued.

Syrian government early this month signed a truce in the northwestern region of Idlib on a condition that a 'Turkish-Russian buffer zone deal' is implemented. Russia, Turkey and Iran are the guarantors of the ceasefire in the conflict-ravaged Syria.

Syria has been marred by civil war since 2011.

More than 370,000 people have been killed and millions were displaced in Syria and abroad since the beginning of the Syrian war in March 2011.

The Russian-backed offensive has so far failed to make major inroads into rebel territory in northern Hama and southern Idlib provinces, where the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) is putting up fierce resistance in their last remaining bastion in Syria.

However, Moscow and the Syrian army have repeatedly denied allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas or any campaign to paralyse the daily life in rebel-held areas.

Russia has blamed the terrorist group for breaking a truce by hitting government-held areas and said Turkey has failed to live up to its obligations under a deal brokered last year which created a buffer zone in the area that obliges it to push out rebels.

According to the United Nations, nearly half of the estimated three million inhabitants in northwest Syria - including Idlib province and parts of neighbouring provinces - had already fled the fighting and moved to areas near the border with Turkey.