US coalition airstrikes kill 17 in Syria's Deir ez-Zour

By Mohamad Misto and Adham Kako

DEIR EZ-ZOUR, Syria (AA) - At least 17 civilians were killed on Sunday when the U.S.-led coalition launched airstrikes at a mosque in Syria's eastern Deir Ez-Zour province.

Local sources told Anadolu Agency that the airstrikes were carried out in the Daesh-held Hejjin district on the eastern outskirts of Deir ez-Zour city.

The airstrikes targeted a mosque in Buhatir village, killing 17 civilians, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

In November, at least 17 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed when a U.S.-led coalition shelled the village of Albo Badran near the Daesh-held town of Al-Sousse.

Previously in the same month, The coalition forces targeted the same area, killing 20 civilians.

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.