Airstrikes in Syria target the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa, killing at least 18 civilians, including two children, according to activists. The barrage, blamed on the Russian and Syrian air force, came as government forces sought to recover from losses suffered in a stalled offensive on the extremist-held city.
Activists from the group known as Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, which relies on residents to smuggle news out of IS-held territory, say the air raids also wounded 28 people.
Illustrative: Smoke and fire following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in the Islamic State-controlled Syrian city of Raqqa, on November 25, 2014. (AFP Photo/RMC/STR)
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights puts the toll at 25 civilians, including six children, but different casualty tolls are common in reporting from Syria’s civil war, now in its sixth year.
Both activist groups blamed the Russian and Syrian air forces for Wednesday’s airstrikes, saying Damascus and its ally Moscow were pummeling the Islamic State extremists amid frustrations over government losses earlier this week.
— AP
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