Children die as Assad offensive intensifies

AT LEAST nine children were reportedly killed in an air strike yesterday as the Assad regime pushed further into south-west Syria, sending civilians fleeing towards the closed borders of Jordan and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 17 people were killed when their underground shelter was hit by a Russian or Syrian regime strike on the town of Al-musayfrah, around 10 miles from the Jordanian border. Images from the scene showed the bodies of small children piled into the back of a minivan.

The regime offensive into the southwest began 10 days ago. At least 46 people have been killed since Wednesday, while thousands have fled their homes in rebel-held areas in front of the advancing regime forces. The fighting is happening in the south-western province of Deraa, which borders both Jordan and the Golan Heights.

An agreement was reached last year between Russia, Jordan, and the US to treat the area as a “de-escalation zone”, where regime and rebel forces would not fight each other. Despite warnings from the US, Bashar al-assad’s troops and allied militias began advancing against the rebels on June 1, attacking with the support of Russian air power. The UN warns there are around 750,000 civilians in the conflict area with nowhere to flee.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Russia had withdrawn 1,140 military troops, 13 warplanes, and 14 helicopters from Syria in past few days. The Russian president has said several times he plans to draw down the Russian military presence, but for now his forces remain deeply engaged.