”Russian air strikes” kill dozens in Deir al-Zour

Dozens of civilians have been killed since Sunday in suspected Russian air strikes along the River Euphrates in eastern Syria, activists say. Jets are reported to have hit camps for displaced people on the western bank of the river and passenger ferries outside the city of Deir al-Zour. It was not possible to verify the […]

Dozens of civilians have been killed since Sunday in suspected Russian air strikes along the River Euphrates in eastern Syria, activists say. Jets are reported to have hit camps for displaced people on the western bank of the river and passenger ferries outside the city of Deir al-Zour.

It was not possible to verify the reports, and Russia has not commented. But it is providing air cover to Syrian government forces battling so-called Islamic State in the Euphrates valley.

Last week, troops and militiamen broke a long-running siege by the jihadist group of a government-held enclave in Deir al-Zour and a nearby military airport.