Iraq News

Hundreds protest against regime in Syria's Idlib

Hundreds of Syrians held anti-regime protests in Idlib province on Friday (September 6th), where a fragile ceasefire has paused a deadly months-old offensive, AFP reported.

Some demonstrators gathered near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, where Turkish border guards last week fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse Syrian protesters.

They waved the three-star flag of the eight-year-old uprising and chanted against the regime, while some called on opposition-backer Turkey to open its borders.

The demonstrations came after Damascus's ally Russia announced a ceasefire for the north-western Idlib region last Friday.

Airstrikes have stopped since the agreement went into effect last Saturday morning, but sporadic artillery fire has continued.

On Tuesday, Save the Children said thousands of children due to start the school year in north-west Syria "may not have access to education" after the latest violence.

Classes are set to start at the end of September, but just over half of the region's 1,193 schools can still operate, it said.

"As the new school year starts, the remaining functional schools can only accommodate up to 300,000 of the 650,000 school-age children," it said.

The heavy bombardment since late April has damaged or impacted 87 educational facilities, the NGO said.

A further 200 schools are being used as shelters for those displaced by the fighting, it added.

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