Activists in Deir Ezzor said that six civilians were killed and many others wounded in what is believed to be a Russian airstrike that targeted Omar ibn al-Khattab Mosque in the town of Sabha in eastern rural Deir Ezzor on Wednesday.
The Assad regime and Russian air forces have escalated airstrikes on the province since yesterday, causing civilian casualties and material damage. The airstrikes hit a bridge near the village of Sabha and a field hospital in the village Jadid Aqidat.
The Syrian Coalition repeatedly stressed that ISIS’s control of some parts of Syria must not be used as a pretext by the Assad regime or any other side to target civilians living in those areas.
The Coalition stressed that the plight of civilians in Deir Ezzor province continues to be ignored, waring of a humanitarian tragedy in the province as civilians are left stuck between the hammer of the Assad regime and the anvil of ISIS.
In Deir Ezzor, civilians are trapped in a cycle of violence where Russian and regime air forces raid ISIS-held neighborhoods in the city, and the extremist group shells the regime-held parts with rockets and mortar rounds.
The regime-held parts of Deir Ezzor have been under siege by the ISIS terrorist group since early 2014. ISIS militants prevent civilians from entering regime-held parts, while regime forces prevent civilians from leaving parts of the city under their control. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
