U.S., Russia agree to extend Syrian truce to battered city of Aleppo

The United States and Russia have agreed to extend the fragile truce in Syria to the northern Aleppo city and its surrounding areas in an effort to de-escalate violence in the war-torn country, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

"Since this went into effect today at 00:01 in Damascus, we have seen an overall decrease in violence in these areas, even though there have been reports of continued fighting in some locations," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

Syrian government forces and the opposition have clashed over the past ten days in Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria, despite continued diplomatic efforts to restore the ceasefire agreement reached in February.

The Syrian government has blamed the rebels in Aleppo for violating the truce, while opposition activists accused Syrian warplanes of striking rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the city.

To ensure that the truce continues in a sustainable way, the U.S. is coordinating closely with Russia to finalize enhanced monitoring efforts of the renewed cessation, Toner said.

"It is critical that Russia redouble its efforts to influence the regime to abide fully by the cessation," Toner said, adding that "the United States will do its part with the opposition."

"Attacks directed against Syria's civilian population can never be justified, and these must stop immediately," the spokesman said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of "repercussions" if his government does not adhere to the ceasefire agreement.

"Unequivocally, if Assad does not adhere to this, there will clearly be repercussions," Kerry said. "And one of them may be the total destruction of the ceasefire and they go back to war." Endit