Suspected airstrikes by coalition waplanes waging war in Syria killed more civilians across the country on Monday and Tuesday, adding to the civilian bodycount from US and Russian strikes.
An airstrike likely carried out by the US-led coalition on an eastern Syrian town held by the Islamic State group has killed at least 23 people and wounded dozens, opposition activists and monitors said on Tuesday.
Jets “believed to belong to the international coalition” struck the town of al-Bukamal in the south of the province near the Iraqi border, killing three militants and 13 civilians including children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.
The Britain-based war monitoring group said airstrikes also killed seven civilians in the town of al-Husainiyah further north along the Euphrates river.
IS militants control most of Deir az-Zour province, which links territory they hold in Syria and Iraq, and parts of the provincial capital, which has the same name.
The Syrian government still controls some parts of Deir az-Zour city, including a nearby military air base, where IS has besieged about 200,000 people lacking food and medicine for around two years.
Airstrikes by the US-led coalition have killed dozens of civilians over the past several weeks as the battle against the extremists intensifies.
In Idib and Aleppo provinces, meanwhile, suspected Russian strikes targeting rebel-held areas reportedly killed at least 15 civilians, including women and children.
Omar Abu Mohammed, a local activist, told The New Arab a suspected Russian warplane bombed the town of Maarat Harma south of Idlib city, killing nine children and a woman from the same family, and injured several others on Tuesday.
Five civilians were killed in suspected Russian strike on the town of Uram al-Kubra in Aleppo province, according to Civil Defence members.
The US intervened in Syria to fight the Islamic State group in 2014 while Russia intervened in late 2015 to shore up the regime of its ally Bashar al-Assad, mainly targeting rebel groups.