Officials inspect the damage done in rebel-held city, Idlib | Photo Courtesy of Reuters UK
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Unheadlined: Idlib, Syria targeted with airstrike

Unheadlined is a new section of the MC Sun that provides a brief overview of stories that did not make the weekly headlines.

On Sunday, Jan. 7,  40 people were reportedly killed due to explosions and suspected airstrikes in Idlib, Syria.

Airstrike on Idlib kills 40
Photo Courtesy of Hindustan Times

As of March 27, 2015, the Fattah Army, a collective group of multiple Islamic rebel factions, seized control of the north Syrian province Idlib. Since then, the Syrian Arab Republic has been struggling to gain back control of the province.

A blast, reportedly a car bomb or a drone strike, killed 25 people outside the headquarters of an allying rebel group,  Ajnad Al-Qawqaz. Located in the provincial capital, the Syrian Civil Defence’s rescue workers reported four children and 11 women dead of the 25 killed.  Other fatalities are thought to include members of Ajnad Al-Qawqaz. The Syrian military announced that they had captured the south-eastern portion of Idlib around the same time frame.

A map describing who controls what areas
in Syria | Photo Courtesy of LiveUAmap

Residents of Idlib did not suffer alone as rebel-held areas outside the province were subjected to deadly airstrikes Sunday night.

11 family members were killed in a raid in Jarjanaz,  a  town southeast of the observatory. Witnesses identified the aircraft as Russian.

Idlib is home to approximately 2.5 million people, one million of which have fled in the past years. An estimated 60,000 residents have fled since Nov. 1, 2017.

Written by Jana Ariss

Jana is a Senior at MC and the Co-Editor in Chief of The MC Sun.

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