AKIPRESS.COM - A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey has come into effect in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib.

The deal was signed in Moscow on Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, BBC reports.

A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said a relative calm descended on the region.

It comes after weeks of intense fighting between Turkish-backed rebels and Syrian forces supported by Russia.

Around 60 Turkish soldiers have been killed during a Syrian government offensive on Idlib - the last area of the country held by anti-government forces.

The fighting has led to a humanitarian crisis in the province, and sparked fears of a direct military conflict between Russia and Turkey, a Nato member.

Before the truce came into effect, Turkey said two of its soldiers were killed in clashes with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

In response, Turkey said it killed 21 Syrian troops and destroyed artillery pieces and missile launchers.