Russia, regime air strikes kill 47 people eastern Syria: activists, monitor

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 47 people have been killed in Russian and Syrian regime air strikes on al-Quriyah town southeast Deir Ez-Zor city, activists said Saturday.

The death toll from the air strikes hat hit al-Iman mosque and civil neighborhoods is expected to rise, local activist said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 31 civilians were identified among those killed, but that it was not immediately clear whether the 16 others were civilians or IS fighters.

"IS fighters have now set up a security perimeter around the residential area, where the town's mosque is located," the Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The Britain-based monitor -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Russian warplanes have been carrying out an air war in support of Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

More than 280,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, after a widespread protest movement evolved into a complex, multi-front war that has drawn in global powers.