U.S. and Russia announce cease-fire deal, military partnership for Syria

The United States and Russia announced in Geneva early Saturday an agreement that could lead to a nationwide cease-fire in Syria at sundown on Monday, followed by a counterterrorism alliance between the United States and Russia in the fight against ISIS and al-Qaeda. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the deal, if implemented by Syria’s Russia-backed government and U.S.-supported rebel groups, a possible “turning point” in the 5-year-old conflict that has seen as many as 500,000 people killed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed the agreement, adding it would expand the counterterrorism fight and delivery of aid to Syrian citizens. Lavrov said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government was prepared to comply with the agreement. The deal includes intelligence sharing and targeting coordination between the United States and Russia, a level of interaction that has raised concern from U.S. national security officials, including Defense Secretary Ash Carter and National Intelligence Director James Clapper.