Damascus, March 21 (IANS) Cautious calm is prevailing in part of Idlib province in northwestern Syria as a cease-fire has been in place for 15 days, a war monitor has reported.

The cease-fire, which was brokered by Turkey and Russia and went into force on March 5, is still holding in spite of some violations, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the areal bombardment has stopped during the last 15 days.

The cease-fire agreement comes after direct confrontation between Turkey and Syrian forces took place several times in Idlib over the past two months since the Syrian forces launched a campaign against the Turkey-backed rebel groups, Xinhua news agency reported.

The current cease-fire was seen as a chance to quell the confrontation in Idlib, so as to allow humanitarian help to reach Syrian refugees who left their areas during the recent military showdown.

--IANS sdr/