Former residents of northwestern Idlib province in Syria, who fled the region due to security concerns, have started to return to their homes thanks to the recent Sochi deal signed between Turkey and Russia, signaling the normalization of life in the region.
In particular, civilians in the town of Jisr al-Shughur in western Idlib who escaped from Syrian regime and Russian attacks started to returning home. Due to the return of its former residents, life in the town has returned to normal with crowded streets and active bazaars.
Speaking to İhlas News Agency (İHA), the manager of a primary school in the town, Afif Abdulkarim, said that 90 percent of town residents migrated to safer places.
"However, after the Sochi deal, they returned to their homes and started to restore their work places. Children returned to their schools," said Abdulkarim, while adding that the returning of the civilians to the town continues.
Before the Sochi deal, 45,000 people from western, southern and northern Idlib escaped and migrated to safer places.
Idlib and the surrounding region have a population of approximately 3.5 million, and a substantial part of it consists of refugees who fled different parts of the country.