The creation of a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib by Russia and Turkey has resulted in a noticeable reduction of violence in the country within the period from mid-July 2018 to January 2019, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic said on Thursday
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2019) The creation of a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib by Russia and Turkey has resulted in a noticeable reduction of violence in the country within the period from mid-July 2018 to January 2019, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic said on Thursday."Extensive military gains made by pro-government forces throughout the first half of 2018, coupled with an agreement between Turkey and the Russian Federation to establish a demilitarized zone in the north-west, led to a significant decrease in armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic in the period from mid July 2018 to mid January 2019," the commission set up by the UN Human Rights Council said in its report.
At the same time, the commission noted that hostilities were still ongoing in several parts of Syria, including Idlib and western Aleppo provinces. Moreover, activities of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the international coalition also continue to cause causalities among civilians in the province of Deir ez-Zor, according to the commission.
The commission's report is based on investigations conducted from July 11, 2018 to January 10, 2019. Experts carried out as many as 271 interviews both in Syria and from Geneva and analyzed numerous satellite imagery, photographs, videos and medical records. The commission also took into consideration communications from governments and non-governmental organizations, as well as UN reports.
On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an agreement on setting up a demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line between the armed opposition and the government forces.
Russia, Iran and Turkey, are the guarantors of the Syrian truce regime.
