Syrian activists say 9 killed in airstrikes on rebel stronghold

Syrian activists say at least nine civilians, mostly women, have been killed in airstrikes on a residential area in the northwestern province of Idlib, a rebel stronghold.

The Syria Civil Defense, a team of first responders also known as White Helmets, says the airstrikes killed two children and seven women. They added that they used incendiary bombs. Rights groups have previously documented dozens of attacks where the Syrian government allegedly used so-called “incendiary weapons” in the conflict, noting that their use in civilian areas is against international law.

Pictures posted by the Civil Defense showed first responders carrying charred bodies, as others struggled to put out a fire in a building.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 10, all of them women and children.

— AP