UN sends 46 aid trucks to Idlib, Syria

By Cem Genco

HATAY, Turkey (AA) - The UN on Monday dispatched 46 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people remain in need of assistance due to internal conflict.

The trucks passed through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey’s southern Hatay province to enter Syria’s Idlib province.

Some 150 tons of food supplies aid consisting of flour, sugar, oil, and a variety of food for breakfast will be distributed among those in need in the Atmeh refugee camp near the Turkish border.

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 more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.

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 Assad regime and its allies.

The influx of civilians displaced from other parts of Syria has increased Idlib’s population to about 4 million in recent years.