41 truckloads of UN aid enter NW Syria

By Cem Genco

HATAY, Turkey (AA) - The UN on Saturday sent 41 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.

The trucks crossed into Syrian territory through the Cilvegozu border gate in southern Turkey’s Hatay province.

The aid – including COVID-19 test kits, baby food, breakfast products, flour, sugar and stationery products – will be distributed among needy Syrians in the province and rural areas.

Ankara on Friday welcomed the UN Security Council’s decision to extend the delivery of humanitarian aid from Turkey to northwestern Syria for the next 12 months.

The UNSC had voted to extend the authorization of cross-border mechanism to aid the Syrian people. The council's mandate for the operation was due to expire on Saturday.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Syrian regime and its allies.