Death toll from Russian attacks in Idlib rises to 15

IDLIB, Syria

The death toll from Russian airstrikes in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province has risen to 15, according to the White Helmets civil defense agency on Saturday.

Earlier reports said ten people had been killed when Russian warplanes struck opposition-held areas in Idlib’s Al-Fuah, Khan Sheikhun and Kafriya districts on Friday.

White Helmets sources said 28 civilians were also injured in the attacks.

Attacks carried out by the Syrian regime and Iran-backed terrorist groups in Idlib’s de-escalation zone are estimated to have killed at least 166 civilians -- and injured more than 470 others -- since the beginning of 2019.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-militarized zone after a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia's coastal city of Sochi.

Ankara and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the stabilization of the situation in Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are prohibited.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.