Russian airstrike kills 7 in Syria’s Idlib

By Burak Karacaoglu and Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - At least seven people were killed and 18 others injured in an airstrike on a marketplace in Idlib province in northern Syria on Tuesday, according to an official with the White Helmets civil defense agency.

"A Russian fighter jet struck the market in Ariha town in the province," White Helmets director in Idlib, Mustafa Haj Yusuf told Anadolu Agency.

He said regime and Russian warplanes had intensified attacks on several areas in the province in recent days.

"Regime and Russian forces carry out around 100 airstrikes every day," he said.

Located in northern Syria near the Turkish border, Idlib province was declared a "de-escalation zone" on May 4-5, 2017.

Controlled by anti-regime armed groups, the province has been under intense airstrikes for the last 1.5 months.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since March 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

While UN officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, Syrian regime officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000.