BEIRUT ( AP) — Syrian activists reported military attacks on two towns today, even as the government claimed its military forces have begun pulling out of some towns in compliance with a U. N.- brokered truce deal.
Syrian ally Russia said Damascus could have done better in implementing the cease- fire, which calls for troops to withdraw from towns and villages today. Syrian activists said they have seen no signs of a large-scale pullback.
The cease-fire brokered by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan was widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy, and its collapse could push Syria even closer to an all-out civil war.
A 13- month uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime has turned increasingly militarized in response to a brutal regime crackdown. The fighting is also threatening to spill across Syria’s borders, raising the risk of a regional conflagration.
Expectations of compliance by Syria had been low from the start because of previous violations of agreements and an escalation of attacks on opposition strongholds in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
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