MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Syrian government forces have freed 225 settlements from the militants of the Daesh terrorist organization, banned in Russia, since the beginning of the year, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"The number of the settlements liberated since January 1, 2017, by the Syrian government's Armed Forces from the armed factions of the international terrorist organization Islamic State has grown to 225," the ministry's Center for Syrian reconciliation said in a daily bulletin.
According to the center's statement, two agreements on joining the ceasefire have been signed in the last 24 hours with two municipalities in the provinces of Quneitra and Suwayda, and the number of the settlements that uphold the cessation of hostilities has grown to 1,436.
According to the bulletin, negotiations on joining ceasefire regime have continued with field commanders of armed opposition units operating in Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, Hama, and Quneitra provinces.