30 IS militants killed in Syria airstrikes

Damascus, May 15 (IANS/AKI) Twelve militants of the Islamic State terrorist group died in a US-led coalition airstrike north of Aleppo in Syria and 18 were killed during an attack on Kweres air base to the east of the city, a watchdog said on Friday.

Aerial bombardments killed 43 civilians in the southern countryside around Aleppo and 13 rebels died in a landmine explosion in the northern countryside, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory said.

A man was killed and several people were injured by a barrel bomb in al-Maadi outside Aleppo, according to the Britain-based observatory.

Barrel bombs were dropped on Khan Toman and Bustan al-Qaser outside Aleppo and clashes continued between government forces and rebels in the Bani Zaid and al-Ashrafia neighbourhoods, with no reports of losses, the monitoring group said.

The US coalition strike in which the IS fighters were killed took place in the town of Tal Malid, the watchdog said.

IS fighters have laid siege to Kweres military airport and have been targeted by government warplanes in the area, according to the observatory.

The watchdog relies for its information on a network of activists and doctors within Syria.

--IANS/AKI

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