Russian airstrikes kill 42 in Syria’s Latakia

21/10/2015| IslamWeb

Forty-two people were killed and dozens others injured late Monday when Russian aircraft targeted an opposition-held area in the countryside of Latakia province, Syrian Civil Defense officials told Anadolu Agency.

Russian warplanes targeted villages in Jabal al-Akrad area (Kurds Mountain) in the eastern countryside of Latakia, officials added.

Last week, the U.K.-based Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the deaths of 104 civilians, including 25 children and 15 women, who were killed in Russian airstrikes since Sept. 30.

Russia began carrying out airstrikes in war-torn Syria on Sept. 30. According to the Kremlin, the strikes are aimed at supporting the Assad regime -- an ally of Russia’s -- against ISIS.

Turkey and the West, for their part, accuse Russia of targeting moderate groups in Syria opposed to Assad, many of which are supported by Ankara and Washington.

At least 300,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, with 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to nearby countries.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Russian-made helicopter hovers over Latakia airport in the regime-controlled coastal Syrian city on September 24, 2015

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