US-Russia truce in Syria may be extended

Russia, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been pushing for the ceasefire to continue, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said Friday. Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia was "still using its influence" to make sure the agreement holds. He said Moscow hoped that "our American counterparts will do the same."

Russia was ready to extend the ceasefire, due to expire later Friday.

"We are prepared to extend the cessation of hostilities for a further 72 hours," said senior Russian officer Viktor Poznikhir.

UN Security Council members were due to meet in New York on Friday afternoon for a hastily called meeting on the Syrian ceasefire. The meeting was later canceled, however, at the request of both US and Russian officials, though it was not immediately clear why it would no longer be held.

Reports of US special forces

Earlier Friday, the "Wall Street Journal" reported that the US had agreed to send 40 special operations troops to work alongside Turkish forces to fight militants with the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) in northern Syria. If confirmed, it would be the first time that US special forces would work with the Turkish military in Syria.

With the arrival of US forces, the focus would turn to the town of Dabiq, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) northeast of Aleppo and 10 kilometers south of Syria's border with Turkey.

IS has used Dabiq as the name of its propaganda magazine, and the town appears to hold a particular significance to the terrorist group. It is supposed to be the location for a final battle, according to certain Muslim apocalypse myths.

A video posted online on Friday appeared to show Syrian rebels threatening to slaughter US troops after they moved into the town of al-Rai with Turkish troops ahead of an offensive against a nearby town controlled by IS.

In the video, fighters from the Free Syrian Army chant that US forces are "pigs," "crusaders" and "infidels" as US commandos are shown fleeing the town. The footage is the first visual indication that US soldiers have been supporting Turkish forces during Euphrates Shield, an operation launched by Ankara last month to liberate border areas from IS control, and push back Kurdish militias.

Aleppo still awaiting aid

Although the truce began on Monday, UN aid for rebel-held eastern districts of the northern city of Aleppo was still waiting at the Syria-Turkey border on Friday morning.

"The challenge we continue to face - and this is the very sad reality - is ensuring all parties to the conflict, and those with influence over them, are in agreement," said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

As part of the truce agreement, the Castello Road, the main route for aid into the city, was to be demilitarized so aid convoys could enter from Turkey. But on Friday, a correspondent for the AFP news agency said there was no sign of movement on the road and that Russian and Syrian government flags were visible in the distance.

The United States has accused Syria of blocking aid.

"Right now, the trucks that could bring them life-saving assistance are idling on the wrong side of the border," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday. "And that's the direct responsibility of the Assad regime and their benefactors in Moscow."

jm/sms (Reuters, AP, AFP)