- Home
- World
- News
- UN Watching Closely as Deadline for Militants to Leave Idlib Buffer Zone Passes - Dujarric
UN Watching Closely As Deadline For Militants To Leave Idlib Buffer Zone Passes - Dujarric
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published October 15, 2018 | 11:53 PM
The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation in Syria's Idlib after a deadline passed for militants to withdraw from a newly created buffer zone in the province, UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Monday.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2018) The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation in Syria's Idlib after a deadline passed for militants to withdraw from a newly created buffer zone in the province, UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Monday.
"Mr. (Staffan) de Mistura and his colleagues are obviously following this very closely," Dujarric told reporters. "We hope to have an update from them later on today as the day goes by."
Under a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey last month, militants were given until October 15 to withdraw heavy weapons and move away from a newly formed 15-20 kilometer demilitarized buffer zone between opposition and government forces in Idlib.
But as the deadline passed on Monday, it remained unclear whether terrorist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia) and its umbrella organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were fully complying with the agreement.
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moallem warned earlier on Monday that Damascus is ready to intervene in Idlib if the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group fails to implement the Russian-Turkish deal. He added, however, that Syria would wait for Russia's patrol forces to determine whether the deal was being adequately upheld.
Dujarric stressed the need for all parties to do whatever they could to avoid massive military action that would bring great suffering to civilians in the Idlib region.
The deal to create the demilitarized buffer zone in Idlib was reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 17 in Sochi. Under the agreement, Russian and Turkish forces were due to start patrolling the buffer zone on Monday after the militants withdrew.
But Turkey has asked to temporarily postpone the start of joint patrols due to ongoing security concerns, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik on Monday.
Turkey's Defense Ministry has said that all heavy weapons have been withdrawn from the designated area in accordance with the agreement. Russia's Foreign Ministry has said that more than 1,000 militants have left the area and around 100 heavy weapons have been pulled out.
But a Syrian opposition source told Sputnik on Monday that radical groups failed to surrender their heavy weapons as agreed and instead simply moved deeper into the province.
Local media reported last week that terrorists belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra did not want to withdraw from the buffer zone because Turkey had not given them security guarantees.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Badar Shahbaz Warraich appointed as PM’s media coordinator
Finance Minister rules out rupee devaluation in talks with IMF
National team determined for good performance against New Zealand: Babar Azam
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 18 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 18 April 2024
Saka and Odegaard start for Arsenal, Guerreiro in Bayern midfield
Qatar PM says re-evaluating Israel-Hamas mediation role
Govt spokesperson terms allegations of PTI's Marwat against Saudi Arabia 'heinou ..
Minister appreciate UAE’s support for Pakistan economic challenges
Manchester City v Real Madrid Champions League starting line-ups
MIGA's support Pakistan in attracting foreign investments: Federal Minister for ..
Walker returns to captain Man City for Real Madrid clash
More Stories From World
-
Indonesia evacuating thousands after volcano erupts, causes tsunami threat
59 seconds ago -
Karsten Warholm: from local street race to world record
11 minutes ago -
Minister of Economy and Planning meets with Armenian Foreign Minister
11 minutes ago -
Ukraine's Olympic hero Beleniuk hopes for Russia-free Games
21 minutes ago -
Russian shelling kills one in east Ukraine
21 minutes ago -
Englishmen abroad: Kane relishes Champions League duel with Bellingham
21 minutes ago
-
5.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Fiji Islands Region
21 minutes ago -
Two arrested in Germany for allegedly spying for Russia
41 minutes ago -
China sees 141 mln cross-border travels in Q1
1 hour ago -
Number of S. Korea's farming households falls below 1 mln for 1st time
1 hour ago -
Zhang Ziyi leads starry cast in Peter Chan's 1940s Shanghai thriller
1 hour ago -
New Zealand to double renewable energy capacity to reduce emissions
1 hour ago