Russian airforce hits 49 ISIS targets in last 24 hours, 10 civilians die in airstrikes
A Russian SU-24M jet fighter prepares to take off from an airbase Hmeimim in Syria. (AP Photo)


Russia's air force has made 36 sorties, hitting 49 ISIS targets in Syria in the last 24 hours, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.The targets were hit in Hama, Idlib, Latakia, Damascus and Aleppo regions, it said.Ten civilians, including three children, lost their lives Friday when Russian aircraft targeted opposition-held areas in Idlib province, a Syrian Civil Defense source said.Mostafa Sherif, a Civil Defense official, told Anadolu Agency that "Russian warplanes struck residential areas in Kafr Kermin village after Friday prayer."On Monday, the U.K.-based Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the deaths of 104 civilians, including 25 children and 15 women, who were killed in Russian airstrikes since September 30.Russia began carrying out airstrikes in war-torn Syria on September 30. According to the Kremlin, the strikes are aimed at supporting its ally the Assad regime against ISIS.Turkey and the West, for their part, accuse Russia of targeting moderate groups in Syria opposed to Assad, many of which are supported by Ankara and Washington.At least 250,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, with 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to nearby countries.