Protests in north-west Syria mark 13 years since start of fight for democracy

Major demonstrations take place in Idlib region, held by rebels against Bashar al-Assad, whose repression sparked civil war in 2011

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Syria’s rebel-held north-west to mark 13 years since pro-democracy protests swept the country, chanting against President Bashar al-Assad and the region’s jihadist rulers.

The government’s brutal suppression of the 2011 uprising triggered a civil war that has killed more than half a million people, drawn in foreign armies and jihadists, and divided the country.