Russian air strike kills 16 displaced in Idlib

(Zaman Al Wasl)- An overnight Russian air strike on a displaced center in northern Idlib province has killed 16 people, including women and children, rescue agency said Thursday.

The White Helmets said 16 civilians were killed and 18 others injured in the attack on the town of Maarret Misrin.

The deadly strike on Syrian displaced came hours before Idlib's summit between the two presidents, Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan, after a surge in tensions between their countries over fighting in Idlib province between Russian-backed regime forces and opposition fighters allied to Turkey.

Turkey has sent thousands of troops into the area to support Syrian fighters holed up there, but hasn't been able to stop the Russian-backed Syrian regime offensive to retake the Idlib province.

Turkish Defense Ministry Said about 2500 regime troops have been killed in three weeks and tens of tanks, missiles batteries have been destroyed and bombed out of service.

A report released Monday by the UN Human Rights Council's Commission of Inquiry on Syria suggested the regime had intentionally targeted civilian infrastructure to scare the population away and facilitate its military reconquest.

"Attacks carried out by pro-regime forces targeted civilian infrastructure, including specially protected objects," the UN commission said.

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative's Signal Program analysed satellite imagery of towns and camps in Idlib province, where the Syrian regime has been pressing a devastating offensive since December, AFP reported.

"In the areas examined, the researchers estimate that nearly one-third of buildings have been significantly damaged or destroyed," said a statement released with the report, which Harvard produced with Save the Children and World Vision.

"With most of these areas' inhabitants having fled before or during the offensive, the destruction of homes and vital civilian infrastructure will make it nearly impossible for families to return in the near future," the statement added.

More than half of the nearly one million people displaced over the past three months are children, tens of thousands of whom are sleeping rough in the bitter cold.