UN dispatches 48 trucks of humanitarian aid to Syria's war-ravaged Idlib
Syrians pass by Turkish soldiers during a joint Russian-Turkish patrol along the M4 highway, which links the northern Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Latakia, near Ariha in Syria's opposition-held northwestern Idlib province, June 10, 2020. (AFP Photo)


The United Nations on Monday dispatched 48 trucks carrying humanitarian aid for needy people in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib.

Truckloads of supplies were transferred through the Cilvegözü border crossing in the Reyhanlı district of Turkey's southern Hatay province.

The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to U.N. estimates.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.