Hosam Katan/Reuters
Through a United Nations task force, Russia and the United States have reached an agreement to cease hostilities between the Syrian government and opposition groups. “Clearly they’ll have to get all the warring parties to sign up to it but there have been days of negotiation about how this will work,” said Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays, adding that Secretary of State John Kerry would soon announce the deal. The development could reportedly mean future talks and a cease-fire between the rebels and President Bashar al-Assad. The conflict has lasted since 2011, when the Assad regime used military force to shut down protests around the country. The cease-fire will allegedly begin Feb. 27, but excludes Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front militants.