In a major diplomatic win for Ankara, the leaders of Russia and Turkey on Monday agreed to enforce a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib province to forestall a bombardment of the opposition’s last stronghold.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the new buffer zone, measuring 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) wide, would separate territories controlled by rebels in Idlib from those held by Syrian government soldiers and would be patrolled by Turkish and Russian troops. The zone will go into effect in mid-October, Putin said.
