Russia Registers Numerous Violations Of Ceasefire In 3 Syrian Provinces - Military

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation said on Thursday that it has registered a number of truce breaches in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia over the past 24 hours, Russia's Defense Ministry said.

"Despite the ceasefire regime being established throughout the country, there are still cases of ceasefire regime violation by illegal armed formations in the Idlib de-escalation zone ... Besides, there were shelling attacks against Tadef (two times) and Tall-Rifaat, Aleppo province, from positions of the Free Syrian Army located on territories controlled by Turkish-backed formations near the town of al-Bab and Afrin district," the ministry said in a daily bulletin.

The Russian side has urged militants in the crisis-torn northwestern province of Idlib to cease hostilities and reach peaceful settlement with the Syrian government.

While the Syrian government has won back vast territories from rebels, the Idlib de-escalation zone remains the last stronghold of terrorists' remnants.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which resulted in reaching agreement to set up a demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province by October 15. Both Russia and Turkey as well as Iran serve as the guarantors of the ceasefire regime in Syria.

The agreement envisages a speedy withdrawal of heavy weapons by October 10 from the demilitarization zone, which will run along the perimeter of the de-escalation zone to a depth of 15 to 20 kilometers (9 to 12 miles). Russian military police and Turkish forces will be patrolling the demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line between the armed opposition and the government troops.