HATAY, Turkey

The UN on Monday sent 39 truckloads of humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people are in need of assistance due to internal conflict.

The trucks carrying supplies entered Idlib province through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey’s south.

The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.

Syria has been ravaged by civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia.

The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.

It is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-weary country.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar