Syrian regime airstrike kills 12 east of Damascus

By Halit Suleyman

DAMASCUS, Syria (AA) - At least 12 civilians including women and children were killed Saturday in a Syrian regime airstrike east of the capital Damascus, according to a pro-opposition civil defense official.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous due to security concerns, said the attack, which targeted the city of Hamouriyah in the Rif Dimashq province, also injured scores of others.

Rescue efforts are ongoing to find the civilians trapped under the debris, the source added.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than a quarter of a million Syrians have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.