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Executive Summary for September 27th

We review the key developments in Syria, including Damascus saying it would discuss granting greater autonomy to Syrian Kurds, Russia denying that its airstrikes killed civilians in Idlib, and airstrikes killing four people in the eastern suburbs of the capital.

Published on Sep. 27, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Damascus Open to Discussing Greater Autonomy for Syria’s Kurds

Syria’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that his country would consider granting greater autonomy to its Kurdish minority, Al Jazeera reported.

“[Syrian Kurds] want a form of autonomy within the framework of the borders of the state,” Walid Muallem said on Tuesday. “This is negotiable and can be the subject of dialogue.”

Muallem’s comments came after Syria’s Kurds held the first round of a three-phase election on Friday, as part of a plan to set up a federal system of government. They also came one day after Kurds in neighboring Iraq voted in an independence referendum.

The foreign minister’s remarks strike a conciliatory tone with Syria’s Kurds at a time when tensions between the Syrian government and the Kurds are flaring in east Syria, where they are both separately fighting the so-called Islamic State.

Russia Denies Bombing Civilians in Idlib

Russia’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that its airstrikes on Syria’s northern Idlib province have targeted insurgent militant groups only and not civilians, Reuters reported.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor that reports on the conflict through a network of activists on the ground, and Turkey’s foreign minister on Monday accused Russia of killing civilians in its aerial campaign on Idlib.

The Russian defense ministry released a statement saying that it has launched only pinpointed attacks targeting militant groups in the province.

“In the last few days, after drone reconnaissance and confirmation via other channels, Russian planes struck 10 terrorist targets in Idlib Province,” Major-General Igor Konashenkov of the Russian defense ministry said.

“These were militant bases, ammunition stores, armored vehicles, rocket systems and workshops fitting out ‘jihad jeeps’ which were located a long way from residential areas,” he said.

The province of Idlib witnessed a period of calm after it was designated a de-escalation zone in May, but fierce bombardment has resumed there in recent weeks. Russian warplanes have carried out an intense airstrike campaign as part of a counterattack against a militant offensive on government positions in nearby Hama last week.

On Monday, the SOHR said that Russian airstrikes on Idlib had killed at least 37 civilians, including 12 children.

Airstrikes Kill Four People Outside Damascus

Airstrikes on Tuesday killed four people in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, disrupting a relative calm that has prevailed in the area since a de-escalation zone agreement went into effect, Agence France-Presse reported.

Citing the SOHR, AFP said that Tuesday’s casualties were some of the first by airstrikes since a de-escalation zone agreement was implemented in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus in late July.

The area serves as the last rebel enclave around the Syrian capital.

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