Jihadi raids kill eleven civilians in NW Syria

Eleven Syrian civilians were killed on Sunday in regime strikes in the country's northwest, a monitor said, in apparent retaliation for a jihadist attack on two besieged government-held villages.

The bombing raids hit a string of towns and villages in the northwest province of Idlib, which is almost entirely controlled by various jihadist and hardline rebels.

"Nine civilians, including three children, were killed in the raids on the town of Taftanaz," said the Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said strikes had also hit near a children's hospital, putting it out of service.

Two more civilians, including a child, were killed in other raids nearby.

The air strikes came a day after jihadists from Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate launched an attack on Fuaa and Kafraya, two villages held by the regime but cut off by hardline forces.

Late Saturday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied fighters shelled Fuaa and Kafraya heavily and clashed with local fighters.

"This is the fiercest attack in around three years," said Abdel Rahman.

Six Syrian pro-regime fighters and at least three from HTS were killed in the fighting, which continued today. Syrian state news agency SANA also reported attack, and said local fighters were able to push back the jihadists.

Fuaa and Kafraya are the only two places in Syria currently designated as besieged by the United Nations after the government recaptured the Yarmuk Palestinian camp in southern Damascus.