Syria:100 civilians killed, 50,000 displaced in 25 days

IDLIB, Syria

Airstrikes by the Syrian regime and its Russian allies on the Idlib de-escalation zone have killed at least 100 civilians since the beginning of this month, according to a local NGO.

Also, 50,000 people from 10,000 families in Idlib, northwestern Syria were displaced in attacks by Russia, the Assad regime and Iran-backed groups in the last 25 days, said the Syria Intervention Coordinators.

During this period, 90 people in Idlib, nine in Aleppo and one in Hama, were killed. The fatalities included 37 children.

The displaced people sought refuge in camps located in northern Syria, and olive groves in Idlib and areas that were cleared of terrorists by Turkey with Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch in northern Syria.

Turkey and Russia agreed in September 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the zone.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to some four million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces from throughout the war-weary country.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.