UN dispatches aid in a bid to help war-weary Syria

By Can Genco

HATAY, Turkey (AA) - The United Nations on Friday dispatched 46 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province torn by the years-long civil war.

The trucks passed through the Cilvegozu border gate in southern Turkey, with the aid to be distributed to residents in urban areas of Idlib, as well as the surrounding countryside.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018. 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 throughout the war-weary country.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar