Troops loyal to the Syrian government and rebels have reached a deal on easing the blockade of the contested town of Qudsaya, on the outskirts of Damascus.
he deal will allow humanitarian aid into the town for the civilians trapped therein. Qudsaya has been held by rebel factions mostly over the past year, but that hold is tenuous, and the town is well outside of rebel supply lines.
Those familiar with the temporary truce say that it will allow food into Qudsaya from the outside for the first time in weeks, and that they believe the Assad government is making concessions to try to kickstart peace talks.
It’s the second such deal in a couple of weeks, after the Red Crescent brokered a deal on the contested suburb of Mouadamiya, allowing large numbers of civilians to flee the town. Both point to an increasing willingness of combatants, locked in a stalemated civil war, to engage in at least some ad hoc negotiations.