Syrian regime army calls countrywide ceasefire

By Alaa Walid

DAMASCUS (AA) – The military leadership of Syria’s Assad regime on Wednesday declared a 72-hour nationwide ceasefire.

"The ceasefire is to be implemented in all territories across the Arab Republic of Syria for a 72-hour period starting from 1 a.m. July 6 until midnight of July 8," Syria’s regime-run SANA news agency quoted the army’s general command as saying.

Notably, the declared ceasefire will coincide with the three-day Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday in Syria.

Although it is not the first time for the Syrian regime army to declare a ceasefire, it is the first time for such a ceasefire to be declared "in all territories" of the war-torn country.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which had erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the country, according to UN figures.

However, the Syrian Center for Policy Research, an NGO, has put the death toll from the five-year conflict at more than 470,000.