Trump tells Syrian regime, allies to end Idlib attacks

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Syrian regime and its principal allies -- Russia and Iran -- should immediately halt their offensive on an opposition-held province in northwestern Syria, U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday.

"Hearing word that Russia, Syria and, to a lesser extent, Iran, are bombing the hell out of Idlib Province in Syria, and indiscriminately killing many innocent civilians," Trump said on Twitter. "The World is watching this butchery. What is the purpose, what will it get you? STOP!"

The White Helmets civil defense agency reported earlier Sunday that four civilians were killed in airstrikes by regime forces and Russia in northern Syria -- the latest casualties in an ongoing offensive that has claimed the lives of 160 civilians and displaced 270,000 others this month alone.

Some 1.5 million people currently reside in Idlib, roughly half of whom have been displaced from other parts of the country.

Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be expressly prohibited.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the ceasefire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.

Last week, Ursula Mueller, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' top humanitarian affairs official, lambasted the Security Council for a history of inaction in Syria, questioning what it will do to prevent another catastrophe, this time in Idlib.

"Can't this council take any concrete action when attacks on schools and hospitals have become a war tactic that no longer sparks outrage?

"Is there nothing to be said or done when indiscriminate barrel bombs are dropped in civilian areas?" she said. "Millions of battered and beleaguered children, women and men cannot wait for another Geneva round to succeed. They need protection -- and your action -- now."