Civilians Killed in Airstrikes on Idlib

At least 19 civilians were killed in shelling and airstrikes on Syria’s Idlib province on Thursday, despite the area being designated a de-escalation zone, a war monitor reported.

The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that seven children and six women were among those killed in the attacks that targeted at least six towns and villages in Idlib.

Heavy airstrikes and artillery attacks come against a backdrop of fierce fighting between pro-government forces and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance in areas of southern Idlib and northern Hama.

HTS, the largest militant group in Idlib, has lost some 41 fighters in this week’s battles, the SOHR said. At least 38 pro-government fighters were killed during the same period, according to the monitor.

39,000 Killed in Syria in 2017

Around 39,000 people were killed in Syria in 2017, marking a decline from previous years, the SOHR reported on Thursday.

At least 10,507 of the fatalities were civilians, including some 2,109 children and 1,492 women, it said.

The SOHR said the 2017 casualty figures were the second lowest annual rate since 2011. They signify a drop from last year’s numbers, which stood at 49,742.

The conflict in Syria has killed more than 340,000 people since it started.

Putin says Russia ‘Main’ Force Behind ISIS Defeat

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was the main force behind the defeat of the so-called Islamic State in Syria, the Washington Post reported.

Russia has “made the main, decisive contribution to the destruction of a criminal group that cast a challenge to the entire civilization,” he told troops during an award ceremony in the Kremlin.

“Your heroic actions and professionalism helped preserve the Syrian state, stop mass killings, executions and terror against civilians,” he added.

Earlier this month, Putin declared victory over ISIS in Syria and ordered a partial pullout of Russian forces from the war-torn country.

Putin also remarked on Thursday on improvements made to the Russian army and navy since the start of the Syrian conflict, saying they “have fully shown their increased capability and successfully used state-of-the-art weapons.”

“The army has radically changed,” Putin said. “The entire world saw it, and our people saw it.”

Recommended Reads

• The Independent: Even Humanitarian Aid for Sick Children in Syria Can Make the Conflict Worse – That’s the Sad Truth About War
• The Wall Street Journal: Trump and Syria After Islamic State
• Al-Monitor: Congress Uses Syria Aid Funding as Assad Leverage
• The New Arab: Oman Set to ‘Cash in’ After Syria War
• UNHCR: Syrian Wrestling Star Grapples With New Challenge in Egypt