AFP, Beirut :
Suspected Russian raids killed 63 civilians in war-ravaged eastern Syria, amid reports US forces are building up an air base to bolster their fight against jihadists further north.
Meanwhile, senior diplomats scrambled to resolve the key question of who will represent Syria’s opposition at crucial talks next week aimed at ending the nearly-five year war.
In eastern Syria, the 63 civilians were killed in air strikes suspected to have been carried out by Russian warplanes on a jihadist-held village.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine children and two women were among the dead in Khasham, which is controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group.
The village is in Syria’s oil-rich Deir Ezzor province, where IS has sought to advance in recent days despite a barrage of Russian and Syrian government air strikes.
The week-long IS offensive on the provincial capital has left nearly 500 people dead and sparked fears of mass killings among the 200,000 people still living there.
IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, imposing its ultra-conservative interpretation of Islamic law there.In Syria, it is under fire by the government and Damascus’s long-time ally Russia, as well as a US-led coalition also battling the jihadists in Iraq.
To bolster their fight against the group, US special forces deployed in Syria are building up an airbase in the northeast, sources told AFP on Saturday.
A Syrian military source said nearly 100 “American experts” and Syrian Kurdish militia were almost done outfitting Rmeilan airfield in Hasakeh province.
“The airbase will be used for helicopters and cargo planes. Its strip is now 2,700 metres (yards) long and is ready to be used by planes that will transport equipment and ammunition,” the source added.
Meanwhile, US special forces and experts are setting up an airbase in northeast Syria as part of the battle against the Islamic State group, Syrian military and security sources said Saturday.
They told AFP work was underway to expand an airfield in Rmeilan, in Hasakeh province, from where aircraft used to take off to spray pesticides on crops before Syria’s war started five years ago.
A Syrian military source said nearly 100 “American experts,” alongside forces from the anti-IS Kurdish People’s Protection Units had widened the landing strip and refurbished some infrastructure.
Suspected Russian raids killed 63 civilians in war-ravaged eastern Syria, amid reports US forces are building up an air base to bolster their fight against jihadists further north.
Meanwhile, senior diplomats scrambled to resolve the key question of who will represent Syria’s opposition at crucial talks next week aimed at ending the nearly-five year war.
In eastern Syria, the 63 civilians were killed in air strikes suspected to have been carried out by Russian warplanes on a jihadist-held village.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine children and two women were among the dead in Khasham, which is controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group.
The village is in Syria’s oil-rich Deir Ezzor province, where IS has sought to advance in recent days despite a barrage of Russian and Syrian government air strikes.
The week-long IS offensive on the provincial capital has left nearly 500 people dead and sparked fears of mass killings among the 200,000 people still living there.
IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, imposing its ultra-conservative interpretation of Islamic law there.In Syria, it is under fire by the government and Damascus’s long-time ally Russia, as well as a US-led coalition also battling the jihadists in Iraq.
To bolster their fight against the group, US special forces deployed in Syria are building up an airbase in the northeast, sources told AFP on Saturday.
A Syrian military source said nearly 100 “American experts” and Syrian Kurdish militia were almost done outfitting Rmeilan airfield in Hasakeh province.
“The airbase will be used for helicopters and cargo planes. Its strip is now 2,700 metres (yards) long and is ready to be used by planes that will transport equipment and ammunition,” the source added.
Meanwhile, US special forces and experts are setting up an airbase in northeast Syria as part of the battle against the Islamic State group, Syrian military and security sources said Saturday.
They told AFP work was underway to expand an airfield in Rmeilan, in Hasakeh province, from where aircraft used to take off to spray pesticides on crops before Syria’s war started five years ago.
A Syrian military source said nearly 100 “American experts,” alongside forces from the anti-IS Kurdish People’s Protection Units had widened the landing strip and refurbished some infrastructure.
