8th round of Syria peace talks to begin next week

An eighth round of peace talks aimed at ending the Syrian civil war will begin next week in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

The talks, set for Dec. 21, will focus on cementing a cease-fire deal brokered by Turkey, Russia and Iran last year in December.

The two-day meeting would also address leftover issues from the seventh round of Astana meetings in October, such as release of captives and hostages, and the clearing of landmines, Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"The parties intend to approve the joint declaration related to removal of the mines in the historical places in Syria listed by UNESCO off mines," the ministry said.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, according to the UN.