Six killed in Syria in rebel mortar attack

At least six civilians, including four children, were killed and over 20 others injured when mortar shells fired by rebels hit a children park in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, state media reported Sunday.

The mortar bombs landed at the park in Idlib's Sheikh Thulth area, Xinhua quoted the report as saying without offering more detail.

The latest attack marked the first such deadly incident against civilians during the first day of the four-day Muslim Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice.

Meanwhile, the Syrian troops advanced Saturday in a number of areas in the northern province of Aleppo, wresting back control over the Handarat area and its countryside along with villages and hilltops in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syrian media reported.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the military showdown in Aleppo, saying that intense battles have been raging since Friday between the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the Syrian troops west of the central prison of Aleppo, amid Syrian airstrikes on Handarat.