Strike kills 15, including 4 kids, in Syria's Idlib: Monitor

An air strike killed 15 civilians, including four children, in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The monitoring group said the toll in the strike on Urum al-Joz could rise further because a number of people wounded in the attack were in a serious condition.
It said the strike was believed to have been carried out by Russian planes, which operate in support of the Syrian government.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.

Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance that includes a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and is regularly targeted by both the Syrian government and its Russian ally.
Earlier this week, a suspected chemical attack hit the town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib, killing at least 87 civilians, including 31 children.

Much of the international community accused Bashar al-Assad's government of responsibility for that attack, though Damascus denied involvement.
The Khan Sheikhun strike prompted Washington to take its first direct military action against Assad's government, with missile strikes against a central air base yesterday morning.
More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations.