Syria troops enter rebel-held district as part of truce

By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — State media and the opposition say Syria forces have entered a rebel-held district in a volatile southern city as part of  a truce negotiated by Russia to end weeks of fighting. The troops began deploying Wednesday, and are to set up checkpoints and search for gunmen who have refused to abide by the agreement that involves the surrender of their weapons. This is the first time that government troops have entered the Daraa al-Balad neighborhood, a bastion of the Syrian armed opposition since 2013. The Russian-negotiated deal went into effect last week to end fighting in the city of Daraa.