Regime shelling in Syria’s Idlib leaves 1 civilian dead

By Esref Musa and Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - One civilian was killed on Tuesday in an artillery attack by the Syrian regime and Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib province, according to local sources.

The towns of Kafr Zita, Latamnah and Morek -- all located inside Idlib’s de-escalation zone -- were targeted by regime artillery fire, Rami Sellul, director of the “White Helmets” civil-defense agency, said.

Following a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to establish a demilitarized zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in Idlib.

Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib were allowed to remain in areas in which they were already present, while Russia and Turkey began carrying out joint patrols in the area to prevent any resumption of fighting.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.