Russian airstrikes kill 7 civilians in Idlib, Syria

IDLIB, Syria

At least seven civilians were killed in Russian airstrikes on residential areas in the de-escalation zone of Idlib, Syria, the civil defense agency in the civil war-weary country said on Friday.

The White Helmets said 10 others were injured in attacks targeting the town of Kafar Roma and the village of Al Bara in northwestern Syria.

According to the Syrian opposition's aircraft observatory, Russian warplanes targeted the villages of Eshtabraq and Marj al-Daher.

The targeted areas fall within the de-escalation zone laid out in Turkey’s deal reached with Russia in late 2018.

Since then, more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces in the de-escalation zone.

Notably, about a million people have been forced to leave conflict-prone areas of the city and started taking shelter in safer areas in the northern part of the city bordering Turkey.

The Turkish government has followed an "open-door" policy for Syrians since the eruption of the bloody war.

There are over 3.6 million Syrians currently taking shelter in Turkey, many looking forward to returning home.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara