Fighting in Syria continues despite ceasefire

Heavy black smoke billowed into the sky in the eastern countryside of Syria’s capital Damascus on Friday, hours ahead of the implementation of a ceasefire deal.

Jaysh al-Islam, a group known as a rebel faction by most Western countries but a terrorist organization by Syria and Russia, exchanged fire with Syrian government forces in Jobar municipality with intense and consecutive shelling.

Sporadic fighting between various warring sides also took place in other parts of the country on the same day.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to endorse the deal on cessation of hostilities in Syria that will come into effect at 00:00 Damascus time on Feb. 27.

#UNSG Ban Ki-moon says adoption of Security Council resolution 2268 is best chance to reduce violence in #Syria https://t.co/jVdV6lcvYt

— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) February 27, 2016

Most Syrian rebel groups had expressed readiness to commit to the deal as of Friday, according to reports from al-Arabyia TV.

The deal excludes the Islamic State (IS) group and the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front, as both groups are designated as terrorist organizations by the UN.

The US and Russia brokered a ceasefire at a meeting held in Munich on February 12 , making this move, the biggest international attempt to reduce violence in the country’s whose half of the population has been displaced by fighting.