MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. It was supported by Damascus, as well as by dozens of opposition groups on the ground. Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia, were not part of the deal.
"The cessation of hostilities in Syria has been respected in most of Syrian provinces. However, a total of four violations of the ceasefire regime have been registered in the Latakia province," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website on Thursday.
According to the statement, at least six civilians have been killed in a shelling of Syrian government forces conducted by members of the Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) jihadist group in the north-western outskirts of Aleppo, the largest city in Syria.
"In the north-west of Aleppo, Nusra Front militants attempted to launch an offensive on positions of government forces in Sheikh Maqsood on April 13 after performing artillery strikes with multiple launch rocket systems," the ministry said, adding that "Six civilians were killed and 12 received wounds of different severity as a result of the shelling."
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, such as the Daesh and al-Nusra Front.