WASHINGTON — A shaky pause in major fighting went into force in Syria at sundown Sept. 12, three days after the United States and Russia announced they had reached a deal to try to establish a nationwide cease-fire, expand access to humanitarian aid and make way for Syrian combatants to return to the negotiating table.
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged all the parties to the cessation of hostilities — including a skeptical Syrian opposition — to support the truce deal that would eventually see the United States and Russia coordinating on the targeting of al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra). Kerry warned its failure could lead to an escalation of the conflict, which would make keeping Syria a unitary nation difficult after five brutal years of civil war that have killed an estimated half a million people.
