The Russian army announced Thursday that a ceasefire has begun in Syria’s Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in the country, in accordance with a Russ-a-Turkey agreement. From 1100 GMT “a ceasefire has been in place in the de-escalation zone of Idlib,” the Russian military’s Centre for Reconciliation in Syria said in a statement. In December alone some 284,000 people fled the bombardments and fighting, especially in southern Idlib, according to the United Nations. Thursday”s announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Tuesday Turkey had called for Russia to stop the regime attacks on Idlib and respect the August ceasefire.

Source: Punch January 09, 2020 21:00 UTC