Firing stopped across Western Syria at midnight local time on Friday as the first ceasefire in the country’s five-year-long civil war came into effect. Ninety seven rebel fighting groups, along with the Syrian government and Russian forces agreed to the temporary truce that is being supported by the United Nations as well. The UN Security Council on Friday demanded all Syrian parties to comply with the truce, though terrorist groups did not join. The UN’s Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said peace talks would resume on March 7 in Geneva if the ceasefire was abided by.

The Guardian reported that large parts of Syria will not come under the ceasefire as the government and Russia asked to continue attacks against the Islamic State and al Qaeda’s Syrian front, al Nusra. BBC said United States President Barack Obama warned the Syrian government and Russia that “the world will be watching”, after attacks intensified on Friday. Mistura had said there would be “no shortage of attempts to undermine this process”. The United States’ UN Ambassador also slammed Russia just before the ceasefire, for intensifying military strikes in the run up to the truce.

Syria’s opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, warned President Bashar al Assad and his allies not to use the truce to continue its strikes “under the excuse of fighting terrorism”. The ceasefire, brokered by the US and Russia, aims also to get aid to people trapped in parts of Syria. The UN’s ceasefire resolution names around 30 areas in desperate need of aid, including the country’s largest city, Aleppo. Recently, tens of thousands fled the country after attacks intensified at Aleppo, against militant groups.

Around 2,70,000 people have died during the civil war, and millions have fled the country. As much as 11.5% of the country’s population has been killed since the civil war began. Around 4,00,000 people are estimated to be under siege in the country.