DAMASCUS: Air strikes by the Syrian regime and its ally Russia on Saturday killed 12 civilians in the country’s last major opposition bastion where a rise in violence has forced tens of thousands to flee.
The bombardments hit the northwestern province of Idlib, which has been increasingly targeted this month by President Bashar al Assad’s forces.
The intensification of air strikes on southern Idlib since December 16 has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.
On Saturday, bombing killed eight civilians in the town of Saraqeb, according the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Four others were killed in separate air strikes in other towns in southern Idlib. And 36 others were wounded, the Britain-based monitoring group added.
The bombardment came as violent clashes continued for a third straight day between regime loyalists and the militants who dominate the province.
Battles since Thursday have killed 67 fighters and 15 allied rebels, the Observatory said.
Fifty-seven regime loyalists were also killed, bringing the total casualty count to nearly 140 on both sides, it added.
Syrian government forces on Saturday seized more territory in the country’s last rebel stronghold, state media reported, as part of a Russia-backed campaign that has displaced thousands of civilians.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that government forces had cleansed three villages from “terrorists” in the northwestern province of Idlib in the months-long campaign.
On Friday, the Syrian army tightened control on 10 other villages once ruled by rebels in rural Idlib, according to SANA.
On April 30, the Syrian government, supported by Russian air power, began a large-scale offensive against rebels in the neighbouring provinces of Hama and Idlib.
In recent weeks, the Syrian forces and Russian jets have intensified attacks in Idlib, forcing thousands of people to flee to safer areas, according to activists.
Around 72,000 civilians have been displaced by the violence since early December, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported on Saturday.
At least seven civilians were killed and 20 injured on Saturday in government air strikes in Idlib’s rebel town of Saraqeb, the Britain-based watchdog added.
The United Nations has estimated that more than 400,000 people have been displaced since the onslaught started in Idlib in late April.
In recent months, government forces have retaken large swathes of territory from West-backed rebels and hardline fighters in different parts of the country. — AFP/dpa
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