A ceasefire so restricted and circumscribed as to be meaningless.
“Report: Car bomb kills 2 after Syria cease-fire begins,” by Bassem Mroue, Associated Press, February 27, 2016:
BEIRUT (AP) – A U.S. and Russia-brokered cease-fire brought relative calm to parts of Syria for the first time in years on Saturday, but the war against the Islamic State group continued as the extremist group stormed a northern border town in a surprise attack.
The Islamic State group, which is not a party to the cease-fire, launched several attacks after the truce went into effect, including a brazen offensive on the northern town of Tal Abyad on the border with Turkey and two car bombs in central Syria that were blamed on IS by local activists and Syrian state TV.
The cease-fire went into effect across Syria Friday at midnight, marking the biggest international push to reduce violence in the country’s devastating conflict that has killed 250,000 people, wounded a million and created Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.
In addition to IS, the truce does not include al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, known as the Nusra Front, which is also considered a terrorist organization by the United Nations.
A top military official in Moscow said Russia has grounded its warplanes in Syria to help secure the cease-fire.
Lt.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the General Staff of Russia’s military said that while Russia will continue air strikes against IS and Nusra Front, Moscow is keeping its aircraft on the ground for now “to avoid any possible mistakes.”…
According to Syrian state media, IS launched two suicide attacks near the central town of Salamiyeh, one on an army checkpoint that killed two and wounded four. The second car bomb was destroyed by Syrian troops before reaching a military post, state TV said.
No one claimed responsibility for the blasts in the area of Salamiyeh where most residents belong to the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for several bombings in Syria that claimed the lives of dozens in recent weeks.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for human Rights said the explosion was the work of IS, adding that the two killed were both soldiers. It added that Syrian warplanes’ attacked suspected IS positions in areas outside Salamiyeh.
In the northern province of Raqqa, IS fighters stormed the border town of Tal Abyad and the nearby village of Suluk that were captured months ago by Kurdish fighters, according to a Syrian rebel official.
Talal Sillo, a spokesman for the predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces, said the fighting began after midnight Friday and was still ongoing. Tal Abyad has been held by Kurdish fighters since July.
Sillo and the main Kurdish militia in Syria, the YPG, said some of the IS fighters came from Turkey. The YPG statement said its fighters had killed the attackers after hours of fighting.
The Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with the extremist group, reported that IS fighters launched a “surprise attack” on several areas in northern Raqqa province, where Tal Abyad is located. But the report did not provide further details.
The Observatory said intense fighting is ongoing near the northern town of Khanaser between troops and pro-government gunmen against IS. Battles have continued for five days in the strategic area that that is close to the highway that links Aleppo with central and western Syria.
State TV said Syrian warplanes attacked oil tanker trucks belonging to IS in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour….
The Observatory reported clashes between the Army of Islam faction and fighters loyal to IS in the Damascus suburb of Dumair. It also reported at least two rockets hitting the Damascus suburb of Bala.
The Observatory reported another violation of the cease-fire in the coastal province of Latakia where Syrian troops killed 12 militants.

Walter Sieruk says
Those two ISIS suicide/homicide jihad bombings were of course, a murderous evil. The blame of this in on, in part, those ISIS jihadist bombers, and for another part of the blame is on those Islamic brainwashing centers, which are more widely known as mosques and madrassas. In the places the Muslim clerics, such as the imams, thoroughly indoctrinate the Islamic doctrine from the Koran, as found in 44:54. 55:56. 78:31.,of a sexual/ lust-filled paradise with many virgins, houris, in it for the Muslim male who dies fighting for the cause of Islam in the jihad as a “martyr.” Of such Islamic mind programming centers two things should be stated. First, those who come out of those Islamic mind programming center are, so very, warped, sick and deluded. As in far from reality, being delusional, that they actually view such murderous bombings as “martyrdom operations” Likewise they who come out of those same centers are also so damaged that they are literally dangerous to self and others. Second, As the those Muslim cleric who preach and teach of a place as in lust-filled /sexual paradise for a specific type of male . Such false religious teacher as those imams, who ingrain a belief in a doctrine of a story in a lust-full place of the flesh into the hearts and minds of others . The Bible warns against such false teachers in Second Peter 2:18. Which reads “For they speak great empty words of vanity they allure through the lust of the flesh…” In addition, many a times a jihad –minded Muslim in his death recording talks about “the wedding with the virgins” that he will have after he becomes a “martyr.” Such a belief Jesus would denounce as being based on false doctrine. For Jesus taught “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, or are given in marriage, but as are the angles in heaven.” Matthew 22:239,30. As for the jihadist with h is deluded Islamic pipe-dream in the Koranic story/doctrine of a place with virgin’s, such a man in is great contrast to the Christian who has the reality of Second Peter 1:16. Which reads “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…” [K.J.V.]
mortimer says
Hopefully, the ceasefire will lead to new intel that will pinpoint ISIS HQs and caches. No one should doubt ISIS will try again soon. The coalition needs to plan some unpleasant surprises for them.
The coalition needs to find ways to deprogram Muslims, because Islam can not be modified or softened or reformed.
Jihad is a supremacist, fascist war against disbelievers until victory. There is no ‘moderate’ jihad, since jihad’s goal is world domination. Jihad is absolute war.
Jihad is every Muslim’s prime directive. When will Western elites get that?
Oliver says
Mortimer, the “elites” MIGHT get what Islam is WHEN THEIR WIVES AND DAUGHTERS AND GRANDCHILDREN ARE RAPED. AND/OR KILLED.
Or, as one has seen–a recent(-I did not read the story or comments) JW post- young boys are raped. (The post was about a 10 year old boy raped by a refugee; both his parents, or just his mother- were on the welcoming group of idiots for refugees-in Austria), young boys are raped and killed, along with the girls and women.
THEN, AND ONLY THEN, PERHAPS THE ELITES WILL SEE WHAT ISLAM IS.
If some of the elites are killed, (no great loss, in my view) maybe some others will see the light.
However, as long as it is us peons, nobody cares.
Just my views.
Walter Sieruk says
Those two jihad suicide/homicide car bombers of ISIS were as deluded as they were dangerous and deadly. For those ISIS jihadist were operating under the strong delusion of the false doctrines of Islam. For in their mad and murderous jihad quest they actually believed that they would obtain some kind of a paradise [heaven] by engaging in those murdering actions. Those jihadists of ISIS had a very harsh reality check after they died in their suicide/homicide attacks. For instead of finding themselves in a paradise, with or without virgins, they found themselves trapped and suffering in the fires in a terrible place that the Bible calls hell. As the Bible teaches that a murderer “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:21. Furthermore, to become even more specific. The total lies and falsehoods from the the Koran. As from 44:54. 55:56. 78:31 doctrine of a story of a sexual/lust-filled paradise with many virgins in it for the male Muslim who dies in the jihad for the cause of Islam in the jihad as a “martyr” is not only absurd but also the kind of thing the the Bible warns against. As in the following two examples. First,the Bible warns against people listening to and believing in unproven and invalid religious story/doctrines. As in the warns against giving “heed to fables…” First Timothy 1:4. No matter who enticing those religious story doctrines may be. Second , the Bible had predicted about and further warns the coming of false religious teachers, as the imams and in some countries as Iran and Afghanistan also the mullahs, who teach enticing sexual religious story/doctrines of a lust-filled place for some specific people. For in the Bible it is written, “For the time will come then they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth , and shall be turned unto fables.” Second Timothy 4:3,4. [K.J.V.]
SoCalMike says
Nice work, Mr Kerry and Obama.
The 2 of you are awash in blood.
Been There Got the Tee Shirt says
Can anyone verify that the Arabic word for “ceasefire” is the same as the Arabic word for “reload”? I was told this years ago, and believe it is true. If true, this gives both sides in a conflict time to regroup and dig in for the next round of fighting. Which seems like it would be of greater benefit to the weaker or less organized side in the battle. In this particular case, which side would that be?
Angemon says
I will now use all my skills and years of experience as a telepath to try and look into John Kerry’s mind as he learns of this. Concentrating… Slowing my breathing… Focus, Angemon, focus! Ah, here it is. My God, it’s like staring into a black hole that sucks all logic and reason. Wait, I’m getting a reading. Kerry is thinking: “well, they’re not supposed to be doing that. And there are consequences for that, and there will be. But apart from that, the fact is that we’ve got people who’ve been holding to the ceasefire. Hmmm, Heinz ketchup…”.
Oliver says
ISIS IS NOT PART 0F THE CEASE FIRE. THEY DID NOT SIGN ON. NOR WERE THEY INVITED TO.
SAME WITH AL-QUEIDA AND ITS OFFSPIRNG.
hence, they did not violate it.
MKG says
I love the picture. A total “slap the forehead” moment.
gea says
It looks like John Kerry has a headache, which serves him right for his treason against America and Jews… with his Iranian wedding… Once a traitor, always a traitor. In 2004 Kerry is the only who gave Obama a platform to fool Americans into electing him for his skillful taqiyya and kitman.