Russian airstrike targets Syrian opposition in Idlib

By Burak Karacaoglu and Ahmed Kara

IDLIB, Syria (AA) – Several people were reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike on the Al-Sham Legion of the Syrian National Army in Idlib province on Monday, according to opposition sources.

The sources told the Anadolu Agency that a Russian fighter jet violated the ceasefire and bombed the village of Al-Duwailah, in western Idlib province.

The sources pointed out that the attack resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries.

In May 2017, Turkey, Russia and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement to establish a de-escalation zone in Idlib, as part of the Astana talks on Syria.

Despite subsequent understandings that were concluded for the ceasefire in Idlib, the most recent of which was last January, the regime forces and their allies continued their attacks on the region.

Since January 2019, the attacks have killed more than 1,800 civilians and displaced more than 1.94 million people who fled to relatively calm areas or close to the Turkish border.

On March 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin announced that they had reached a ceasefire agreement in Idlib, which took effect the next day.