By Halit Suleyman

IDLIB, Syria

Ten civilians were killed and another nine injured by Russian airstrikes carried out in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Thursday, local civil defense sources told Anadolu Agency.

The sources, who spoke anonymously due to concerns for their safety, said a Russian warplane had targeted a residential part of Idlib’s town of Ariha, killing three civilians and injuring nine others.

Another seven civilians were killed the same day by a Russian airstrike carried out in Idlib’s town of Talbiseh, according to the same sources.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected fury and disproportionate force.