Syrian, Russian Air Raids Kill 20 In Idlib

BEIRUT-Antigovernment activists said Sunday airstrikes have hit a market and other targets in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib, killing at least 12 people.

In a separate instance of aerial bombardment, six people were killed in the town of Maarat al-Numan, which lies about 30km south of Idlib city.

Five children were among those killed in the air raids on Idlib, which is held by al-Qaida affiliate Al-Nusra Front and its allies, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It says it determines whether strikes were carried out by Syrian, Russian or US-led coalition aircraft based on the location of the raids, flight patterns and the types of planes and munitions involved.

Russian Federation deployed warplanes to Syria a year ago to support President Bashar al-Assad against rebels seeking to end his rule.

It added that at least 12 people were killed in shelling by rebels and fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Several monitoring groups, as well as Turkish authorities accused Russia of conducting the air strikes in Idlib, but Russian authorities denied any involvment.

The number of casualties are expected to rise.

The Syrian civil war started in March 2011 with peaceful protests and soon blew into a sectarian war with government forces and rebels fighting to take control of various areas across the country.