Russian airstrike on Syria market kills 43

Air strikes killed 43 people in northwest Syria Monday, most of them in a crowded market, a war monitor reported, in the latest violence to plague the opposition bastion.

Thirty five civilians and two unidentified people were killed in raids that hit the vegetable market and surrounding areas in the town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, while six more were killed in regime air strikes on the nearby town of Sarqib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

More than 100 others were wounded, according to the Britain-based monitor.

The latest strike comes one day after air raids by Damascus and its Russian ally on Syria’s militant-run Idlib region killed 18 people, including a young citizen journalist.

Anas al-Dyab, a photographer and videographer in his early 20s, was a member of the White Helmets rescue group who also contributed to AFP.

He was killed in Russian airstrikes in his hometown of Khan Sheikhun Sunday, rescuers and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Damascus regime and its Russian ally have stepped up their deadly bombardment of Idlib since late April, despite a September buffer zone deal to protect the region of some three million people from a massive military assault.

The spike in violence has killed more than 650 civilians, caused tens of thousands to flee there homes, and damaged or knocked out of service two dozen health facilities.

Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in January took full administrative control of the region, although other militants and rebels are also present.

Syria’s war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.

Source: Russian airstrike on Syria market kills 43: Observatory | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR