Pakistan jails ten over plot to kill Malala
Civilians ‘killed by Syrian airstrikes’
SYRIAN government forces have carried out air raids and shelled several areas in the country’s north-west in an apparent attempt to halt a rebel advance, killing at least 20 civilians, activists said yesterday.
State-owned news agency Sana said troops were targeting “terrorists”.
The government refers to all of its armed opponents as terrorists.
Islamist insurgents, including the al-qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, have been gaining territory in Idlib province in recent weeks, seizing the provincial capital of the same name, the town of Jisr al-shughour and an important military base.
Experts have said government losses are indicative of battle fatigue and a new co-ordination among the most powerful rebel groups.
Syrian defence minister General Fahd Jassem al-freij was meanwhile paying an official visit to Iran, Syria’s main ally.
He said: “There must be a stance to evaluate ways to confront terrorism, particularly after the recent escalation.
“Our views are identical on the upcoming steps to deal with terrorism.”
On Wednesday, the rebels advanced on Mastoumeh, one of the few remaining government garrisons in Idlib province.
The overnight strikes in Idlib province targeted rebels in areas north and south of the town of Jisr al-shughour, which recently fell to the insurgents, and in and around the town of Saraqeb.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday at least 23 civilians, including five children, were killed.
Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said that the successive airstrikes are “attempting to terrorise the rebels, but they end up killing civilians”.