7 White Helmets volunteers shot dead in Syria

By Adham Kako

IDLIB, Syria

Seven civil defense volunteers were shot dead in north-eastern Syria on Saturday, according to a Syrian paramedic group.

A spokesman for the Syrian Civil Defense group said gunmen stormed their camp in the town of Sarmin in Idlib province.

"The attackers stole two ambulances, helmets and communication devices," Hossam Halaq told Anadolu Agency.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Popularly known as White Helmets, the Syrian Civil Defense group is active in opposition-held areas in Syria, which has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.