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1st LD: Civilian casualties rate drops 94 pct after safe zones' deal: report

Xinhua, May 16, 2017 Adjust font size:

The rate of the civilian casualties in Syria has dropped 94 percent since the de-escalation zones' deal went into force 10 days ago, a monitor group reported on Tuesday.

The rate of the killings significantly dropped in the areas included in the de-escalation zones deal that was reached by Russia, Turkey and Iran early this month, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Still, the report said that 200 civilians have been killed since 10 days ago in areas under the control of the Islamic State (IS) group, whose areas are excluded from the deal.

According to the agreement, the government and opposition forces will halt fighting for six months in four zones, in the northwestern province of Idlib part of Aleppo countryside, the central province of Homs, the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, and areas in the Daraa and Qunaitera provinces in southern Syria.

Under the deal, the safe zones, or de-escalation zones, will be free of battles and airstrikes, but the battles against terror-designated groups will continue.

By June 4, guarantors of the deal will establish the exact borders of the zones, according to Russia's Defense Ministry. Endit