The United States condemned the airstrikes that Russia launched in the Syrian province of Idlib and blamed it for the death of one civilian. The corresponding statement by the head of the press service of the State Department, Ned Price, was published on the department's website.
“The US strongly condemns the alleged shelling by [President Bashar] Assad's regime yesterday [Sunday] and Russian air strikes in western Aleppo and Idlib,” the text reads.
Also, according to Price, the shelling of the Al-Atareb hospital in western Aleppo killed “several patients” and more than 10 staff members were injured.
On March 21, it was reported that Russian forces launched an airstrike on areas in northwestern Syria near the border with Turkey. One of the strikes – near a border crossing on the outskirts of the city of Sarmada in Idlib province – came from an airplane. Another surface-to-surface missile hit a target in the village of Kakh. This is the first such attack in 2021.
On March 5, 2020, the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed to introduce a ceasefire in Idlib. The parties agreed on an additional protocol, according to the terms of which they created a security corridor along the M4 highway passing through the province. The reason for the talks was a sharp aggravation of the situation in Syria, as a result of which in January-February Turkey lost at least 62 soldiers killed.
