Pro-Turkey rebels in north Syria begin withdrawing under deal: Monitor

Pro-Turkey rebels began Sunday withdrawing from areas in northern Syria under a deal brokered by Ankara and Moscow to avert a large-scale military assault on the country's last major opposition stronghold, a monitor said.

"Units from Faylaq al-Sham al-Islami began pulling out of areas in the southern countryside of Aleppo and the western suburbs of Aleppo city with heavy weapons, including tanks and cannons," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The pullback is in line with a plan agreed this month between regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey to avert a large-scale government offensive on Idlib province and surrounding rebel territory, which included setting up a demilitarised zone.

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