Regime attacks kill 8 in N. Syria’s de-escalation zones

<p>By Esref Musa</p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – At least eight civilians were killed when Assad regime forces attacked residential areas inside northern Syria’s de-escalation zones, local sources said Tuesday. </p> <p>Overnight airstrikes and artillery barrages reportedly targeted the villages of Latamna, Kafr Zita, Kafrnabuda, Shahrenaz, Al-Shiria and Al-Sirmani in Hama province.</p> <p>The villages of Kafrenbil, Kinsafra, Al-Habit, Um Al-Nayir, Has, Ras Al-Ayn, Al-Knidda, Ureyniba and Shinan in neighboring Idlib province also reportedly came under attack. </p> <p>According to the same sources, the villages of Kafr Naha and Zahret al-Madina in Aleppo province were similarly targeted.</p> <p>Last September, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be strictly prohibited. </p> <p>Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.</p> <p>* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat</p>