Russian air strikes pounded an al-Qaeda-held city in northwestern Syria overnight, killing 23 civilians, a monitoring group said yesterday, but Moscow denied it was responsible.
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“No combat missions, let alone delivering airstrikes, have been performed by the Russian Air Force in Idlib province”, stressed Konashenkov.
It has been criticised for targeting non-jihadist rebels as well as Al-Qaeda and its rival the Islamic State group.
Two rebel sources said Russian jets also intensified strikes on towns in rural Idlib including Binish, Maarat Misreen and Saraqeb.
IRC said that before the road, became too risky, some 6,000 people managed to flee the rebel stronghold of Marea to seek safety in Azaz.
Another activist, based in Turkey, Hassan Dughaim, said air attacks are either a way to set the ground for the offensive on Idlib or to make the resistance surrender. According to first responders, at least 30 people were killed and dozens of civilians wounded, with the death toll likely to rise amid ongoing rescue operations, the statement said.
Yacoub El Hillo, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Syria, called on armed groups to “ensure the unhindered movement and protection of civilians trying to reach safety”.
The Observatory, which tracks violence across the country, said top trainers from among Ahrar al-Sham’s leaders were normally present at the camp, located in the Sheikh Bahar area of rural Idlib. He said some of the casualties were taken to clinics near the Turkish border in the Bab al-Hawa area.
“As we said at the time, the attacks were deplorable and unacceptable”.
Among those killed were 24 child fighters from ISIL’s Cubs of the Caliphate recruitment programme.
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“We are going to continue to work closely inside the cessation of hostilities task force, with the Russians to try to figure out what happened here”.
