Total of 486 settlements have joined Syrian ceasefire

The number of settlements that have joined the ceasefire regime in Syria has increased to 486, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"Within last 24 hours, truce agreements have been signed with representatives of 5 inhabited areas in the Lattakia (4) and Homs (1) provinces. The total number of inhabited areas, the leaders of which had signed reconciliation agreements, has reached 486," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.

Syria has been mired in war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups such as ISIL, as well as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (previously known as al-Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia and a range of other states, are not part of the deal.

SPUTNIK/MNA