Syrian air strikes kill 49 people in Idlib: monitor
Xinhua, June 8, 2015 Adjust font size:
At least 49 people were killed on Monday, allegedly by a Syrian air strike against a rebel-held area in northwestern Syria, a monitor group reported.
Six kids and four women were among those killed by the air raids, which targeted a main square in Janudiyeh town in northwestern city of Jisr al-Shughour in Idlib province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based watchdog group said the death toll is likely to rise due to the large number of critically wounded people.
Meanwhile, the observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground, said clashes took place between Syrian army and jihadist groups in the town of Frikeh and countryside of Jisr al-Shughour.
It added that several Syrian military vehicles withdrew from the town toward Ghab Plains in the countryside of central province of Hama.
The state news agency SANA said the Syrian air strikes targeted several areas in Idlib countryside, killing "terrorists" and destroying their weaponry.
The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups captured much of Idlib province over the past couple of months. The radical militants are still scoring progress against the Syrian forces in the few remaining government-controlled towns in the province near Turkish borders. Endit