Syrian troops to start unilateral cease-fire in Idlib
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Syrian government forces will soon begin a unilateral cease-fire in northwestern Idlib province, Russia's military said Friday, as hundreds of protesters were met with tear gas marching toward a border crossing with Turkey demanding that Ankara either open the border for refugees or work on stopping the Syrian army's advance.
The protest and cease-fire announcement came after weeks of a crushing offensive by Syrian troops on the last remaining rebel stronghold, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee, many of whom were already without shelter.
A similar cease-fire at the beginning of the month lasted a few days, after which the government offensive resumed and forces captured the town of Khan Sheikhoun and all rebel-held towns of villages in nearby Hama province.
Syrian troops have been on the offensive since April 30 against rebel-held areas forcing more than half a million people to flee, many of them toward the border with Turkey farther north.
Turkey opened its borders to Syrians in April 2011, a month after the country's crisis began, and is currently home to 3.6 million people who fled the civil war, now in its ninth year. In recent years, Turkey has taken measures to slow the flow of refugees and has been sending some back home.
The Russian military reconciliation center said the cease-fire will go into effect Saturday morning at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT).
