Syrian rebels on Sunday denied pulling any heavy arms out of a major opposition bastion in the north, as the deadline to implement a demilitarisation deal there draws closer. Regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara agreed earlier in September to create a buffer zone around the opposition stronghold of Idlib that would be free of both jihadists and heavy arms. The deal has so far averted a massive assault on the region by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, but its implementation is expected to be complex.
