Syrian planes have airdropped humanitarian aid in the east of the country

Syrian planes, assisted by the Russian army, have airdropped humanitarian aid for people besieged by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the Arab country’s east. The Syrian aircraft dropped food cargo over the city of Dayr al-Zawr on Monday, using Russian parachute platform airdrop systems. Some 200,000 people living in Dayr al-Zawr have been deprived of aid since the city was encircled by Daesh in May 2015. Dayr al-Zawr links the Daesh stronghold of Raqqah province in Syria with territory controlled by the terrorist group in neighboring Iraq. 

A ceasefire agreement in Syria, brokered by Russia and the United States, entered into force on February 27. Under the truce, humanitarian aid is to be delivered to besieged areas across Syria. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.