Beirut, Nov 14 (AFP) Air strikes that ripped through amarket in a rebel-held Syrian town have killed 61 people,mostly civilians, an updated toll from a monitor said today.
Three strikes hit the northern town of Atareb on Monday,the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, despite a "de-escalation zone" in place there.
"A number of people died of their wounds, bringing thetoll to 61 people, including five children and threepolicemen."The Britain-based monitor said it was not clear whetherthe bombing raids had been carried out by Syrian governmentwarplanes, or those of its ally Russia.
A photographer contributing to AFP saw massivedestruction at the scene on Monday, with rubble from damagedbuildings covering the street and panicked civilians carryingaway the wounded.
Atareb is in the west of Aleppo province, in an area thatis part of a "de-escalation zone" agreed under a deal reachedearlier this year between Syria's allies Russia and Iran, andrebel backer Turkey.
The zone mostly covers neighbouring Idlib province, whichis largely held by a jihadist group formerly affiliated withAl-Qaeda.
Despite the government's recapture of Aleppo city latelast year, rebel groups maintain a presence in the west of theprovince.
Russia, a key ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad,began a bombing campaign in support of his government in 2015.
Since then, with Moscow's support the government hasrecaptured large swathes of territory from opposition forces.
(AFP)UZM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.