Regime, Russia airstrikes kill 6 in Idlib, Syria

By Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - Six civilians were killed in overnight airstrikes by the Assad regime and Russia in northwestern Syria, in an area where a cease-fire is supposed to be in effect.

According to Syrian opposition groups' aircraft monitors, four people were killed in the village of Aldier Algarbi and another two in the village of Talmenes, both within the Idlib cease-fire zone.

Turkey and Russia agreed last September 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 4 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 Bashar al-Assad 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.