DAMASCUS, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Syrian government has agreed to a truce in the war-torn northwestern region of Idlib on condition a Turkish-Russian buffer-zone deal is implemented, state news agency SANA reported.
The announcement, which follows weeks of heavy bombardment in the region of some three million residents, came as talks resumed in Kazakhstan between rebel backer Turkey and government allies Russia and Iran.
SANA cited a military source who announced the government’s “approval for a ceasefire in the deescalation zone in Idlib starting from tonight” on condition militants and rebels withdraw forces and weaponry from a buffer zone as per the deal between Moscow and Ankara.
Most of Idlib province and parts of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a militant group led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate.
The region is supposed to be protected from a massive government offensive by the Turkish-Russian deal struck in September in the Russian resort of Sochi.
But the deal has faltered and Syrian forces, along with Russia, have stepped up their bombardment there since the end of April.
The government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has accused Turkey of dragging its feet in implementing the deal, which provided for a buffer zone of up to 20 kilometres between the two sides, free of heavy and medium-sized weaponry.
Government forces and militants have also clashed on the edges of the buffer zone, where Russian and Syrian air strikes have continued as heavy clashes saw government forces seize several villages, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
The Observatory said on Thursday two girls had been killed in bombing on the town of Jisr al-Shughur, although it was not possible to confirm the nature of the strikes.
The Observatory, which relies on a vast network of contacts across Syria, says some 790 civilians have been killed in the past three months along with 1,000 rebels and jihadists and around 900 pro-government fighters.
Hospitals, schools and markets have been hit in the fighting.
Idlib health department’s deputy director Mustafa al-Ido said that saying 12 hospitals in the region were now out of service due to Russian and Syria bombing.
The head of the White Helmets rescue group Raed Saleh said 15 of the organisation’s medical centres had been targeted.
He said Russian aircraft had been “constantly following” and targeting ambulances.
But Moscow’s Syria envoy on Thursday welcomed the move by Damascus.
“Of course, we welcome the Syrian government’s decision to introduce a truce,” Alexander Lavrentyev was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency after the first day of peace talks in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan.
He said it was now up to militants and rebels to honour previous peace agreements.
The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and drawn in world powers since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011. — NNN-AGENCIES
