Solar Energy News  
WAR REPORT
Russian air strikes in Syria kill 15 civilians: monitor
By Bachir el Khoury with Aaref Watad in Kfar Taal
Beirut (AFP) Jan 21, 2020

Russian air strikes killed at least 15 civilians Tuesday in northwestern Syria, as renewed violence tightened the noose around the country's last major rebel-held bastion and deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Retaliatory rocket attacks blamed on rebels and jihadists killed three more civilians in the government-held city of Aleppo in northern Syria, state news agency SANA said.

The spike in violence in the neighbouring provinces of Aleppo and Idlib follow so far unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to reduce hostilities in the flashpoint region, with the latest truce in theory going into effect less than two weeks ago.

Most of Idlib and parts of Aleppo province are still controlled by factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, including a group that includes onetime members of Al-Qaeda's former Syria franchise.

The Damascus regime, which controls around 70 percent of the country after nearly nine years of war, has repeatedly vowed to recapture the region.

On Tuesday, air strikes by regime-ally Russia on a rebel-held region in Aleppo's western countryside killed eight members of the same family sheltering in a house, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Six children were among those killed in the raid on Kfar Taal village, where three girls already died a day earlier in strikes, according to the Britain-based monitor.

Another seven civilians were killed in Russian air strikes on western Aleppo and a southern region of Idlib.

"Over the past three days, the bombardment on Idlib and its surroundings, including in western Aleppo, has been exclusively Russian," saud Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

"They want to push rebels and jihadists away from the city of Aleppo and from the motorway linking Aleppo to Damascus," Abdel Rahman said.

SANA said rebel rocket fire on Tuesday also killed two women and a child in Aleppo city.

- Imminent offensive? -

The surge in violence comes despite a ceasefire announced by Russia earlier this month that never really took hold.

Last Thursday, Russia denied launching any combat operations in the region since the start of the ceasefire earlier this month.

Russia has thousands of forces deployed across Syria in support of the army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground.

Moscow's military intervention in 2015, four years into the Syrian conflict, helped keep Assad in power and marked a long, bloody reconquest of territory lost to rebels in early stages of the war.

Abdul Rahman said the latest spate in air strikes could be a prelude to a land offensive in western Aleppo, as the regime and its allies continue their drive to shrink the last opposition-held pocket.

"The regime has massed reinforcements on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo," Abdel Rahman said.

The violence in northern Syria is escalating an already dire humanitarian situation, with aid groups warning of displacement on an unprecedented scale.

Idlib province alone is home to at least three million people, many of whom are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

According to the UN humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, almost 350,000 people have fled their homes since December 1, mainly northwards from southern Idlib, which has borne the brunt of the air strikes.

The International Rescue Committee has warned another 650,000 people, mostly children and women, could be forced from their homes if the violence continues.


Related Links
Space War News


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


WAR REPORT
Russian raids kill 7 civilians in northwest Syria: monitor
Beirut (AFP) Jan 20, 2020
At least seven civilians, including five children, were killed Monday in air strikes on northwest Syria by regime ally Russia despite a truce declared by Moscow, a war monitor said. The raids hit several villages held by jihadists and rebels in the western countryside of Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Three girls were killed in the village of Kfar Taal while four civilians, including two other children, died in separate strikes that hit other villages in the area, ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WAR REPORT
Microwaving sewage waste may make it safe to use as fertilizer on crops

How to make it easier to turn plant waste into biofuels

EU project RES URBIS shows the viability of bioplastic generation with urban biowaste

From a by-product of the biodiesel industry to a valuable chemical

WAR REPORT
Anatomy of a Rover: The Mechanics of a Winning Student Vehicle Design

Team builds the first living robots

Can sea star movement inspire better robots?

Raytheon tapped for self-evaluating machine learning system

WAR REPORT
UK looks to offshore wind for green energy transition

Britain's green energy sector brightens: survey data

Consider marine life when implementing offshore renewable power

Supporting structures of wind turbines contribute to wind farm blockage effect

WAR REPORT
Extinction Rebellion protest disrupts Brussels Motor Show

More dieselgate fines as CEO says VW has 'one shot' to survive shift to digital era

German minister confirms US threat of higher EU car export tariffs

Bollywood star slams Uber after 'scariest experience'

WAR REPORT
Some batteries can be pushed too far

A breath of fresh air for longer-running batteries

A new method to study lithium dendrites could lead to better, safer batteries

Utilizing relativistic effects for laser fusion

WAR REPORT
Japan court halts nuclear reactor restart citing volcano, quake risks

Austria fails to win over neighbours for nuclear phase-out

Iran says 'daily enrichment' of uranium higher than 2015

UAE to start first nuclear reactor in 'months': officials

WAR REPORT
Global resource consumption tops 100 bn tonnes for first time

France, Germany join BlackRock for climate investment

Davos faces up to towering global challenges

BlackRock to clean up investment portfolio, CEO says

WAR REPORT
Taking root? Tree-planting new trend in eco-conscious Davos

Amazon indigenous leaders accuse Brazil of 'genocide' policy

Amazon tribes meet to counter Bolsonaro environmental threats

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon up 85 percent in 2019









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.