Syria war: Idlib ceasefire between Russia and Turkey begins, bbc.com

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey has come into effect in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib.

The deal was signed in Moscow on Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. […]

What is the ceasefire deal?

The agreement was announced after six hours of talks between Mr Putin and Mr Erdogan in the Russian capital.

The two sides said the deal included:

  • A ceasefire from 00:01 local time on Friday (22:01 GMT Thursday) on the whole line of contact
  • A security corridor 6km (four miles) north and 6km south of Idlib’s key M4 motorway, which connects the government-held cities of Aleppo and Latakia
  • Joint Russian-Turkish patrols along the M4 from 15 March

During the talks, President Erdogan failed to obtain a withdrawal by government forces from their recent territorial gains.

The agreement also lacked any mention of a safe zone where displaced Syrians could take shelter. The UN estimates that nearly a million people have been uprooted by the offensive – the largest exodus of the entire nine-year war. Läs artikel