Russian air strikes kill 44 in Syria

Risingbd Desk: Air strikes believed to have been carried out by Russian jets killed at least 44 people in the town of Ariha in northwestern Syria on Sunday, rescue workers in the rebel-held area said, part of an escalation of Russian strikes near the Turkish border.

In separate air strikes closer to the frontier with Turkey, jets believed to be Russian hit a truck depot that was also struck on Thursday, destroying 10 trailers and killing five people, a rebel in the area said.

Officials at the Russian defense ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. Syrians in rebel-held areas of northwestern Syria near the Turkish frontier have reported intensified air strikes in the days since Turkey downed a Russian warplane near the border.

The air strike on Ariha in Idlib province wounded dozens more people, striking a market place, the rescue workers said. Mohamed Queissi, a rescue worker with the Civil Defense service which operates in rebel-held areas, said the bodies of 31 people had been identified, with 12 more awaiting identification.

"The vendors were shouting loudly as people were buying and selling and suddenly we heard the sound of the planes and in less than a second the jets struck and there was deadly silence.

"I saw people thrown in the street, strewn corpses and terrified children crying and shouting for their parents," said Mohamed Amine Qurabi, 25, a second Civil Defense worker.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reports on the war, gave an initial death toll of 18 people including four children and "a leading opposition" member. It said the toll was likely to rise, with a total of 60 killed and wounded.

Source: Agencies

Risingbd/Nov 30, 2015/Mukul