MOSCOW

Syrian regime forces began a unilateral ceasefire in the Idlib de-escalation zone Friday, according to the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties.

"In order to stabilize the situation, the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties reached an agreement on the unilateral cease-fire by the Syrian government troops from 06:00 hours on August 31, 2019 in the de-escalation zone Idlib," said the group that serves as a mediator between warring parties in Syria.

It urged commanders of armed groups in Idlib to join the truce in the areas under their control.

The presidents of Turkey and Russia said they agreed on additional measures for Idlib, at a meeting Tuesday, without elaborating.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.