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world NEWSMonday 19 October 2015

Syria activists say 4 civilians killed in intense airstrikes

Smoke rises after shelling by the Syrian army in Jobar, Damascus, Syria. Backed by Russian were pounded with more planes had bombed areas
airstrikes, the Syrian army has launched an offensive in central and northwestern regions. than a dozen airstrikes Sun- in eastern Aleppo near the
day, including government Kweiras military air base,
(Alexander Kots/Komsomolskaya Pravda via AP) helicopters dropping barrel which the IS group has be-
bombs in the village of Ter sieged for months.
SARAH EL DEEB government said. four civilians. Homs-based Maela, the activists said. Syrian troops had launched
Associated Press The Britain-based Syrian activist Bebars al-Telawy The state-news agency a separate offensive earlier
BEIRUT (AP) — Russian and Observatory for Human said the civilians were bury- SANA reported army troops this month in an attempt to
Syrian warplanes pound- Rights and activist news ing a man who died from began a ground offensive break the siege.
ed targets in central and platform Syrian Revolution wounds sustained a day in the area. Since Russian airstrikes be-
northern Syria, killing at Talbiseh said warplanes earlier when the planes Meanwhile, the Observa- gan on Sept. 30, Syrian
least four civilians Sunday believed to be Russian tar- struck. tory and monitoring group troops have been on the
as ground troops battled geted mourners at a fu- Al-Ghanto, the town of Local Coordination Com- offensive on several fronts
insurgents and seized new neral in Homs province’s Talbiseh and other areas mittees said intense clash- around the country, in an
territory, activists and the al-Ghanto village, killing north of the city of Homs es were reported on the attempt to secure supply
edges of Wadihi, a village routes and regain control
the government firmly con- of strategic areas.
trolled Sunday, a day after Also Sunday, the Interna-
entering it during an offen- tional Committee of the
sive in southern Aleppo. Red Cross said aid was de-
The area is controlled by livered to four areas that
mainstream rebels, some were part of a limited U.N.-
Islamist groups and al-Qa- brokered cease fire agree-
ida’s affiliate in Syria. ment reached last month.
Government ground forc- It is the first aid delivered
es, backed by allied mili- to the four besieged areas
tias, opened another front that include two Shiite vil-
in eastern Aleppo, where lages in the province of
the Islamic State group has Idlib and two rebel-held
a strong presence. Syria areas near the border with
TV reported that govern- Lebanon.
ment forces seized control The U.N.-backed truce was
of al-Jabriyeh village. Lo- reached in September to
cal Coordination Commit- end months of fighting be-
tees said government war- tween Sunni insurgents and
pro-government forces, in-
US confirms airstrike in Syria killed al-Qaida commander cluding fighters from Leba-
non’s militant Hezbollah
LOLITA C. BALDOR al-Nasr was “a longtime ji- leading figure in the Kho- blow” to the Khorasan group.
Associated Press hadist experienced in fun- rasan group — a secretive group’s plans to attack the The deal included the re-
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The neling money and fighters” cell of al-Qaida operatives U.S. and its allies. ciprocal transfer of thou-
U.S. military is confirming for the terrorist network. who U.S. officials say were A U.S. official who was not sands, allowing Sunni insur-
that an airstrike in Syria by A statement from the U.S. sent from Pakistan to Syria authorized to discuss the gents and their families safe
the U.S.-led coalition has Defense Department says to plot attacks against the strike publicly and spoke passage out of the central
killed a top al-Qaida com- coalition forces conduct- West. on condition of anonym- town of Zabadani in return
mander. ed the airstrike on Thursday U.S. Defense Secretary Ash ity said an American drone for safe passage for Shiite
The Pentagon says a Saudi over northwest Syria. Carter says the military op- targeted and struck the civilians in the northern vil-
national known as Sanafi The U.S. says he was a eration “deals a significant militant.q lages of Foua and Kfarya,
in Idlib province.q