Airstrikes kill 24 civilians in Syria’s Idlib

By Burak Karacaoglu and Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - At least 24 civilians were killed in airstrikes on residential areas in the opposition-held province of Idlib in northwestern Syria late Sunday, according to a volunteer first responders group.

Sources from the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said 12 people were killed in raids that targeted Falul village.

Airstrikes also killed three civilians in Kafr Nabl town, two in Abu Adh Dhuhu town, three in Sheikh Ahmad village, and four in al-Gadfa and Kansafra villages, the sources said.

The areas were the target of numerous attacks throughout the night, they added.

It is not yet clear which party carried out the raids which came shortly after at least 30 people were killed in four explosions in Idlib on Sunday.

Idlib falls within a network of de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

More than 90 civilians were killed and over 200 others injured in attacks in de-escalation zones in Idlib in the past three weeks.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.