Russian warplanes kill 7 civilians in NW Syria

By Halit Suleyman

IDLIB, Syria

At least seven civilians were killed and 30 others were wounded when Russian warplanes struck residential areas in opposition-held northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, a civil defense official told Anadolu Agency.

According to a civil defense official, Russian warplanes carried out over a dozen airstrikes on opposition-held neighborhoods, including a mosque, marketplace and hotel.

“Most of offices in town have been damaged and firefighters are struggling to put out the raging fire,” he said.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests. According to the Syrian Center for Policy Research, at least 470,000 Syrians have died in the war.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Ahmet Sait Akcay contributed to this report from Ankara.