At least 21 people have been killed in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province as Syrian government forces and their Russian allies intensified an air offensive on the country’s northwest, according to rescue workers who operate in opposition-held areas.
A new ceasefire agreement between Russia and Turkey, who support opposing sides in Syria’s conflict that has lasted over eight years, went into effect on Sunday but violence has continued.
The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said air raids and barrel bombs on Wednesday struck a vegetable market in the town of Ariha, as well as repair shops in an industrial area, a few hundred metres away from the market.
At least 19 people were killed in the attacks on the market and the nearby shops, including a Civil Defence volunteer, Ahmed Sheikho, a spokesman for the group, told Al Jazeera.
A man was killed in the village of Has as a result of a Syrian government air raid, Sheikho said, while a young girl succumbed to wounds sustained in a previous attack, which took place before the latest ceasefire was implemented.
The least 82 people were wounded in the attacks on Wednesday and the death toll is likely to increase, according to the Civil Defence.
Source: AL JAZEERA
