4 children killed in Syrian regime attack on Idlib

By Ahmet Karaahmet and Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - Four children were killed on Saturday and five others injured in shelling by the Bashar al-Assad regime and Iran-affiliated terror groups, in breach of a truce in northwestern Idlib de-escalation zone, according to the Syria Civil Defense.

Regime forces stationed in the Jurin area of northwestern Hama violated the cease-fire by shelling villages.

The attack where the victims were killed occurred in Qatsoun village of Hama, said the Syria Civil Defense, or White Helmets.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia in March 2020.

The regime, however, has consistently violated the terms, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.

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

In the past decade, around half a million people have been killed and more than 12 million had to flee their homes.