Rebel factions in Syria expressed deep reservations on Sunday about the terms of a U.S.-Russian deal that seeks to restart the peace process for the war-torn country, with the leader of at least one U.S.-backed rebel faction publicly calling the offer a "trap." The second in command of the powerful, ultraconservative Ahrar al Sham group condemned the superpower agreement as an effort to secure President Bashar Assad's government and drive rebel factions apart. "The Islamist factions and [the Front for the Conquest of Syria] will abide by the cease-fire without publicly declaring it," said the official. "The free Syrian factions under the Euphrates Shield banner will announce their commitment to the agreement, of course," he said. But that scenario is complicated by the fact that the Front for the Conquest of Syria remains intertwined with several other factions.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 12, 2016 03:11 UTC