UPDATE 1-Russia says tense ceasefire largely holds in Syria's Aleppo

09/13/2016 11:34

(Adds details, context, shooting incident)

MOSCOW, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The Russian military said a ceasefire in Syria brokered by Russia and the United States was being largely observed in the city of Aleppo on Tuesday, despite Islamist militants shooting at residential areas and Syrian government troops.

It made the statement as efforts to deliver badly needed aid to besieged areas including to Aleppo got cautiously underway amid accusations of truce violations by all sides.

Lieutenant-General Viktor Poznikhir, a senior Russian Defence Ministry officer, said in comments broadcast by state television that Moscow had sent artillery reconnaissance equipment to Aleppo to monitor and suppress violations.

He said Syrian government forces had halted all military action, except in areas where they were fighting Islamic State units and the Nusra Front, now renamed Jabhat Fatah al Sham.

Live footage broadcast by Russia's Rossiya-24 channel, which showed Russian officers reporting back to Moscow via video link on the situation, suggested the truce was shaky.

At one point, a Russian officer relaying information on the state of the ceasefire and a Syrian officer standing next to him were shown running for shelter near the Castello road outside Aleppo after coming under intense fire.

Sergei Kapitsyn, the Russian officer, said two Syrian soldiers had been killed and one wounded near the Castello road overnight.

Separately, the RIA news agency cited Kapitsyn as saying the residence of Aleppo's governor had been bombarded with gas canisters on Tuesday, while the TASS news agency cited another Russian officer as saying residential areas in Aleppo and Syrian government positions nearby had been shelled about 10 times. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

09/13/2016 11:34