ADDS STATE DEPT. REACTION
By Halit Suleyman and Ayse Aktas
ALEPPO, Syria (AA) – Seventeen civilians lost their lives and 45 others were injured Thursday by Russian airstrikes on Aleppo province in northwestern Syria, a civil defense official said.
Najib al-Ansar told Anadolu Agency that Russian warplanes targeted the al-Kallasa neighborhood.
On Wednesday, 30 people were killed and 62 others were injured by a Russian warplane that targeted a field hospital in Aleppo’s al-Sokkari neighborhood.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a written statement that the U.S. was “outraged” by the attacks, adding that Russia had “an urgent responsibility to press the regime to fulfill its commitments” to abide fully by the cessation of hostilities agreement.
According to the deal reached in February, all parties in Syria had to stop attacks. The agreement excluded Daesh and al-Nusra.
Russia began its military intervention in Syria in September, reportedly after a formal request for help by the embattled Bashar al-Assad regime against armed opposition groups. In March, Russia announced a partial reduction of its forces deployed in the war-ravaged country.
According to a tally compiled by Anadolu Agency, more than 361,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted in 2011.
