Air strikes in rebel-held Zardana area of Syria killed at least 51 civilians; dozen others injured

Damascus, June 9: At least 51 civilians including nine children were killed while a dozen others were injured in suspected air strikes carried out by Russian jets on a rebel-held residential area in northwestern Idlib province of Syria on Friday.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that as many as 51 civilians including nine children were killed when the air strikes hit the rebel-held Zardana area of Idlib province in Syria. However, the death was rising because more bodies had been found under the rubble of houses destroyed in the air strikes.

On the other side, Russia dismissed the reports of strikes on Zardana. The Russian defence ministry in a statement dismissed the reports of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights of airstrikes on Zardana claiming observatory have nothing to do with reality.

In March this year, a suspected Russia jet carried out an airstrike in the northwestern province of Idlib, killing twenty civilians including 16 children. While over 700 civilians after the Syrian Government forces launched a series of airstrikes with rockets, barrel bombs since February 18 this year on the other part of Syria rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.

BACKGROUND:

Most of Idlib province is held by an array of Islamist and jihadist groups with only parts controlled by the Russian-backed government. Since Russia intervened in its support in 2015, the government has regained control of around half of the country, driving back rebels. More than 350,000 people have been killed in the Syrian war since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.