But after Putin's talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has opposed a military operation against the rebels in Idlib, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told reporters there would not now be an offensive. "The demilitarized zone will be monitored by mobile patrol groups of Turkish units and units of Russian military police." It was also not immediately clear how much of the city of Idlib fell within the zone. "With this agreement we have precluded experiencing a large humanitarian crisis in Idlib," Erdogan told reporters at the news conference with Putin. In return, we will ensure that the radical groups, which we will determine with Russia, will not operate in the area under discussion," he said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 18, 2018 13:18 UTC