Syrian army attack kills child in Idlib

By Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu and Ahmet Karaahmet

IDLIB, Syria (AA) – A child was killed Saturday in an attack by the Syrian army in the northwestern Idlib province.

Syrian army forces stationed in the eastern Saraqib district of Idlib, along with Iran-backed terror groups, launched a ground-to-ground artillery attack on the Idlib city center.

A child was killed in the attack, according to White Helmets, a local civil defense group.

- Idlib

In a 2017 meeting, Türkiye, Russia and Iran decided to establish four de-escalation zones in areas not under the control of the Syrian government.

Despite the agreement, the Assad regime, supported by Iranian-backed militants and Russia, continued attacks, seizing three of the four designated zones and turning its focus toward Idlib.

While Türkiye and Russia reached an additional agreement in September 2018 to reinforce the cease-fire, attacks escalated again in May 2019.

Following a new agreement between Türkiye and Russia in March 2020, the cease-fire has largely held.

Between 2017 and 2020, approximately 2 million civilians fleeing attacks were forced to migrate to areas near the Turkish border.

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

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz