Let’s end war in Syria: Trump

IDLIB IN FOCUS US president wants fighting to stop in the rebel bastion

WASHINGTON:US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for the governments in Moscow, Damascus and Tehran to stop the bloodshed that has displaced thousands in Syria’s rebel-held province of Idlib.

Heightened regime and Russian bombardment has hit the country’s last major opposition bastion since mid-December, as regime forces make advances on the ground despite an August ceasefire and UN calls for a de-escalation.

“Russia, Syria, and Iran are killing, or on their way to killing, thousands” of civilians in jihadist-held Idlib, Trump tweeted, adding: “Don’t do it!”

Nearly 80 civilians have been killed by air strikes and artillery attacks in the last two weeks, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which estimates that more than 40,000 people have been displaced.

Syria’s war has killed over 370,000 people and displaced millions since beginning in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Meanwhile, China, Russia and Iran will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Gulf of Oman, at a time of heightened tensions in the region.

AFGHAN WAR CAUSED 100,000 CASUALTIES: UN

KABUL: More than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured over the past decade, the UN reported on Thursday.

The announcement comes as the Taliban and US continue to hold negotiations aimed at drawing a close to America’s longest war.

However fighting continues to rage across the country, with ordinary Afghans frequently bearing the brunt of the violence.

AFP/FILE ■ A woman stands along the side of a road near the Syrian town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province, with smoke from burning tyres billowing in the background. The entire country, most recently Idlib province, has been ravaged by conflict and war for nearly a decade.