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Reports of ‘hundreds of thousands’ of civilians heading to Turkish border because of hostilities in Idlib not true – Russian MoD
The Russian military has denied rumors that scores of refugees are fleeing Syria’s Idlib province and moving towards the Turkish border due to battles between the Syrian Army and terrorists in the area.
“There are no verifiable photos and videos, or any other data that would confirm the statements that ‘around a million’ refugees are supposedly moving from the Idlib de-escalation zone,” the head of Russia’s Reconciliation Center for Syria Rear Admiral Oleg Zhuravlyov said in a statement. The official added that terrorists are using civilians as human shields, preventing them from leaving the combat zone through the three humanitarian corridors set up by the Reconciliation Center in the Idlib, Aleppo and Hama provinces. The situation in Idlib flared up in recent weeks, with the Syrian Army making advances against terrorists and militants, some of which are backed by Turkey. The anti-government forces launched a counteroffensive on Thursday, which was beaten back with the help of Russian airstrikes.
source: AFP
