Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 23 deceMber 2019

Syrian troops push toward Turkish observation post in Idlib

By BASSEM MROUE The offensive has already tory around another Turkish
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian gov- forced tens of thousands of post in the village of Morek,
ernment forces pushed civilians to abandon their also in Idlib province, leav-
deeper in their offensive homes and flee, including ing the Turkish monitors only
on the last remaining rebel thousands who crossed a nearby road to use. No
stronghold in the country's into neighboring Turkey friction has since been re-
northwest on Sunday, get- seeking safety. The attacks ported between Syrian and
ting very close to a Turk- resumed after a cease-fire Turkish troops in Morek.
ish observation post in the in force since the end of Relations between Turkey
area, opposition activists August collapsed recently. and Syria have deteriorat-
said. Turkey has backed Syrian ed sharply since Syria's cri-
The Britain-based Syr- rebels in the neighboring sis began in 2011, with Da-
ian Observatory for Human country's civil war, now in its mascus accusing Ankara
Rights and the opposition's ninth year. of undermining its security
Syrian Civil Defense, also Saraqeb and Maaret al-Nu- A truck carries civilians fleeing Maaret al-Numan, Syria, ahead by allowing thousands of
known as White Helmets, man are two major rebel- of a government offensive Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. foreign fighters to come in
reported shelling and air- held towns on the highway Associated Press across the border to battle
strikes on rebel-held villag- linking the capital, Damas- Syrian government forces.
es in Idlib on Sunday, say- cus, with the northern city ing from the east toward now about 4 kilometers (2.5 Turkey is a strong backer
ing that at least one civilian of Aleppo, Syria's largest. Maaret al-Numan, neared miles) from the Turkish post. of rebels fighting President
was killed. The two towns have been the Turkish observation post Syrian state media made Bashar Assad's forces and
The province of Idlib has emptied of civilians since outside the village of Sur- no mention of the post but has 12 observation posts in
been at the center of a Syr- becoming the target of the man from three sides, ac- said government forces northwestern Syria as part
ian forces' push under the offensive, which aims to re- cording to the Observatory. captured several villages of an agreement reached
cover of airstrikes in recent open the highway, closed The Step news agency, an near Maaret al-Numan. last year with Russia, a
weeks, with more than a since 2012. activist collective, said the Four months ago, Syrian main backer of Assad's
dozen villages captured. Syrian troops, advanc- government troops were troops captured all terri- government.q
Uzbekistan holds parliamentary vote without real opposition

MOSCOW (AP) — Voters in including relaxing the cen- parties should be created
the Central Asian nation of sorship of critical news in our country, because it's
Uzbekistan are choosing a websites and releasing hard to encourage plural-
new parliament in an elec- some political prisoners. But ism in society without op-
tion that presents no genu- human rights groups say position," he said.
ine opposition. thousands of people in Uz- According to Temur Uma-
The vote is the first parlia- bekistan remain imprisoned rov, a Central Asia analyst
mentary election since the on false charges and cite at the Carnegie Moscow
death of longtime strong- problems with forced labor. Center, "there should not
man leader Ismail Karimov At an election-day news be any illusions about this
three years ago. But the five conference, the head parliamentary election."
parties in Sunday's election of the country's elections "These are not unprece-
all were Karimov loyalists commission Mirzo-Ulugbek dented free and fair elec-
and they also support the Abdusalomov said new tions. They (the govern-
In this handout screengrab provided by the UZREPORT Govern-
ment TV Channel, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev agenda of his successor. political forces should form ment) put it this way: It is just
poses for a photo during the parliamentary elections at at a Since becoming president and register political par- the first time for us, give us
polling station in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. in 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev ties. please some time to learn,"
Associated Press has implemented reforms "We believe that opposition Umarov said.q