Syrian Army announces 72-hour nationwide ceasefire

Damascus: The Syrian army said on Tuesday it was observing a 72-hour ceasefire across the country, in an announcement coinciding with the festival marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. [caption id=“attachment_2870762” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] “A ‘regime of silence’ is applied across all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic for 72 hours from 1:00 am on 6 July to midnight on 8 July,” the army said in a statement republished by official media. The statement did not specify whether the ceasefire extended to military action against jihadists such as the Islamic State group or the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. A ceasefire between regime forces and non-jihadist rebel groups was announced by Russia and the United States in late February but had mostly collapsed amid repeated violations.