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Militants open fire at residential areas in three Syrian regions

According to Russian center for reconciliation on conflicting sides in Syria, a total of 222,144 people have returned to former places of residence as of February 16

MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone have several times opened fire in the Syrian regions of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia in the past 24 hours, Lieutenant General Sergei Solomatin, head of the Russian center for reconciliation on conflicting sides in Syria, said on Sunday.

"In spite of the cessation of hostilities agreement, militants from illegal armed groups operating in the Syrian Arab Republic are still violating it. For example, over the past day, militants from the Idlib de-escalation zone have attacked al-Hodor-Mar-Aliya, Kibriya, Al-Suqaylabiyah and Mahardeh in Hama province as well as Zahabiya (two times) in Aleppo province and Tufahiya in Latakia province," he said.

According to Solomatin, a total of 222,144 people have returned to former places of residence as of February 16. Under Syrian President Bashar Assad’s decree on amnesty to those who shunned the military service, as many as 53,880 people have been granted amnesty so far.

The Russian general said that the Russian reconciliation center have carried out three humanitarian operations in the regions of Deir ez-Zor, Daraa and Hama, distributing 500 food sets among the local residents.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.

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