DEIR EZ-ZOUR, Syria

At least 17 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed Thursday when a U.S.-led coalition shelled positions on the outskirts of Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zour province.  

Local sources told Anadolu Agency that the shelling had targeted the village of Albo Badran near the Daesh-held town of Al-Sousse. 

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said that all 17 casualties had hailed from the same family. 

Most of the slain had been displaced earlier from the nearby town of Al-Baguz, which continues to see fierce fighting between Daesh and the PYD/PKK terrorist group. 

Earlier this week, at least 20 civilians in the same province were killed by coalition airstrikes. 

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.