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Feature: Syrians yearn for eternal peace as 72-hour Eid truce declared

Xinhua, July 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Just as the Syrians are observing the first day of the Eid al-Fitr feast, the military forces announced a three-day nationwide truce, a move welcomed by all Syrian people.

The first day of Eid al-Fitr started Wednesday, with photos and videos of President Bashar al-Assad observing the feast's special prayers in the central city of Homs.

It was a new show of confidence the president aims to portray as his troops were battling a five-year-old rebellion.

A couple of hours later, the general command of the Syrian army announced a three-day truce across the country on the occasion of Eid.

In Damascus, as people usually go out to pay visit to their relatives and friends, as well as taking their kids to amusement parks, some Damascenes expressed relief about the truce news.

"I know it's a temporary truce, but if this thing grows to become a trend, even periodically, then this is something positive," Muhammad, a 37-year-old engineer, told Xinhua.

The current truce is not the first, as previous regime of clam deals were reached near Damascus and other areas, including the key city of Aleppo, in recent months.

Those truces were backed and agreed upon by superpowers, mainly Russia and United States.

Still, the earlier truces held well near Damascus but largely fell in Aleppo, as that city has a thick presence of terror-designated groups, such as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, and the Islamic State (IS) group, both excluded from truces.

Walking his son, who was wearing new cloth for the feast, Samir said the new Eid truce shows the spirit of the holiday and brings peace to the troubled areas.

"In Damascus we have been in a relatively calm situation since the first truce was established a few months ago, but I am really happy because if the truce succeeded in other troubled areas, afflicted people could regain some of the stolen spirit of the holiday," he said.

Muneer, a 33-year-old father, said the announcement of truce could bode well for the future of the Syrian crisis.

"Several truces have been announced recently, even though most of them didn't work out as planned. Still, I am sensing these ceasefires are becoming growing trends, some of the warring sides are reflecting a desire of establishing pacification, so are the superpowers," he said. Endit