Militants Shell Settlements In Syria's Aleppo, Latakia Provinces - Russian Military

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2019) The Russian military has registered shelling of the western Syrian province of Latakia and the northern Aleppo province from the Idlib de-escalation zone over the past 24 hours, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides said on Sunday.

"Militants in the Idlib de-escalation zone have shelled the towns of Kinsabba, [located] in the Latakia province, and Al-Hadher, [situated] in the Aleppo province, over the past 24 hours," Lt. Gen. Sergei Solomatin told a briefing.

The head of the reconciliation center also stressed that the residents of Ar-Raqqah province, located in the north of Syria, continue to hold protests, demanding that the United States withdraws the forces of the US-led international coalition from the country.

Since 2017, Russia has been one of the three guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria. During the most intense periods of the civil war, the Russian armed forces provided military assistance to Damascus, while now, given the significant de-escalation of the conflict, they are also focused on regular humanitarian operations, post-war reconstruction and the return of refugees.

The US-led international coalition launched its counterterrorism campaign in Syria in 2014 and has been operating in the country ever since, without securing permission either from the United Nations Security Council or Damascus.