UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2019) The level of violence in northern Syria has dropped off since the ceasefire agreements reached by Russia and the United States last month, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said in a Security Council meeting.
"I continue to follow developments in northeast Syria very closely," Lowcock said on Thursday. "Hostilities have decreased since the agreements reached on 17 and 22 October."
Lowcock said that clashes yet continue in some border areas, particularly around the cities of Ras al-Ain and Tell Abiad, where his office was able to verify that 49 civilians have been killed by airstrikes, ground-based strikes, sniper fire and executions carried out by armed groups.
Additionally, some 31 civilians were killed by explosive remnants of war since the beginning of October, according to Lowcock.
On October 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in northeastern Syria to clear the area of Kurdish militia and Islamic State terrorists (banned in Russia). The United States and Turkey came to an agreement on October 17 for a five-day ceasefire in the area to allow the withdrawal of the Kurdish fighters.
As the five-day ceasefire came to an end, Turkey and Russia reached a deal that would see the Kurdish fighters pull back from the Syrian border area with Turkey. In addition, Moscow and Ankara have begun joint patrols in the operation zone along the Turkish border.
