Dozens Civilians Killed in Syria Airstrikes

Dozens of civilians were killed in airstrikes and artillery shelling in war-ravaged Syria, activists said yesterday.
Air raids targeting Eastern Ghouta district outside the capital Damascus killed at least 23 people as Syrian government forces continue to increase military pressure on the rebel-controlled area.
“The toll could rise further because of the number of wounded people in a serious condition,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At least four children were among the dead, he added.
Attacks on Eastern Ghouta over the past two weeks have killed more than 100 people, the Syrian Observatory said.
The Syrian Observatory also reported that Russian airstrikes on Sunday killed 34 civilians, including 15 children, in a village held by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in eastern Deir Az Zor province.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in the war since it began in March 2011 with millions of residents fleeing the country.