‘Fiercest’ shellfire yet near Idlib truce zone

Rebels and extremists traded fire with government forces in northern Syria overnight, their “fiercest” exchanges since a buffer zone deal was announced for the area last month, a monitor said yesterday.

A 15-20km wide “demilitarised zone” was announced by rebel backer Turkey and regime ally Moscow on September 17 to separate regime troops from rebel fighters in their last major bastion in Idlib province and adjacent areas.

Shelling has continued intermittently, however, and escalated dramatically late Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “It was the fiercest bombing yet since September 17,” said Rami Abdul Rahman, who heads the Britain-based monitoring group. “Syrian regime rocket and artillery fire killed one girl in Kafr Hamra,” an Aleppo province town inside the declared buffer zone.

Rebel shelling from inside the zone killed three civilians in regime-held territory earlier this week.

Late on Wednesday, rocket fire by both extremists and Turkish-backed rebels hit second city Aleppo, wounding 10 people, Abdul Rahman said.

Regime news agency SANA gave the same casualty toll and said the regime’s army responded against the sources of the fire north and northwest of the city.