SYRIAN insurgent groups agreed to observe the Russian and US-backed truce yesterday, but Moscow said terrorists would still be fair game.

Hours before the midnight deadline for the “cessation of hostilities,” the Saudi-based High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said more than 100 groups of the ragtag Free Syrian Army would observe the ceasefire for two weeks.

The HNC insisted that President Bashar al-Assad’s government and its allies must not use the “proposed text to continue the hostile operations against the opposition factions under the excuse of fighting terrorism.”

But Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that his country’s air force would continue operations against Islamic State (Isis), the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front and other terror organisations not covered by the ceasefire.

December’s key UN security council resolution 2254 on Syria specifies that Isis, Nusra and their allies will be exempt from the ceasefire.

With HNC members including the large Ahrar ash-Sham in alliance with Nusra in many parts of the country, they remain in the Russian military’s bomb sights.

Late on Thursday, US President Barack Obama conceded the Russian position on Isis and Nusra, while also admitting: “Syria is not just a civil war, but also a proxy war between regional powers.”

However, he continued to insist on regime change in Damascus, claiming that it was the only way to “unite
the Syrian people against terrorists.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian army and its allies continued to advance against Isis forces that had cut the supply line to Aleppo around Khanasser.