Syrian army says cease-fire in effect

BEIRUT (AP) --Syria's army says it has begun implementing a U.S.-Russian cease-fire, but the country's most powerful insurgent groups have not yet said whether they will abide by it.

The Syrian government and its main allies, Russia and Iran, say they will abide by the weeklong truce.

Half an hour before the truce went into effect, violence was reported in several areas throughout Syria.

The deal, announced last week by Washington and Moscow, calls for a halt to fighting between the U.S.-backed opposition and the Russian-allied Syrian government.

If the truce holds for a week, the U.S. and Russia would begin intelligence sharing and target coordination against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked militants.

U.S. and Russian officials announced the cease-fire early Saturday, saying they hoped it would facilitate humanitarian access to civilians.

Russia's deputy foreign minister says peace talks to end Syria's five-year civil war could be resumed next month.

Mikhail Bogdanov told the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency that he expects talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups to resume in early October, adding that Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy to Syria, would name the date.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.