Syrian rebels to complete withdrawal of heavy weapons from Idlib zone on Monday – Ankara

Syrian rebel groups will complete the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from a demilitarized zone, agreed by Turkey and Russia, in northwest Syria’s Idlib on Monday, according to the state-owned Anadolu news agency. The Turkey-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL) rebel alliance had previously said the withdrawal had started on Saturday, Reuters reported. Russia and Turkey agreed a deal last month, under which rebels deemed as radicals are required to withdraw by the middle of this month from the zone, and heavy weaponry must be withdrawn by October 10. President Bashar Assad, speaking before members of the Central Committee of the ruling Baath Party on Sunday, reportedly said that the Russian-Turkish deal, to prevent an offensive by Syrian troops to liberate Idlib, was a “temporary one” and served to prevent bloodshed. Syria is now entering a “battle” to rehabilitate elements of Syrian society which collaborated with or otherwise supported “chaos and terrorism,” according to Assad.