26 oct 2016 air strikes on syrias opposition-held idlib province hit a school and the surrounding area on wednesday killing 22 children and six teachers the un childrens agency unicef said wednesday. "this is a tragedy. it is an outrage. and if deliberate it is a war crime" said unicef director anthony lake. the syrian observatory for human rights (sohr) earlier said "warplanes either russia or syrian carried out six strikes" in the village of hass including on a school complex killing at least 35 civilians including 11 schoolchildren. the white helmets civil defence group released pictures of four rescue workers clambering over a mound of rubble in search of survivors after what it said was a "double-tap" strike on the school. initial reports of 6 killed & many injured after kafrtakharim in idlib was targeted with an airstrike last night.httpst.co7yzw74jrrw pic.twitter.comsrzbdqcoeo the white helmets (syriacivildef) october 24 2016 the raids hit hass around 1130 am (0830 gmt) an activist with the opposition idlib media centre said. "one rocket hit the entrance of the school as students were leaving to go home after the school administration decided to end classes for the day because of the raids" the activist said speaking on condition of anonymity. lake said the school compound was "repeatedly attacked" adding that it may be the deadliest attack on a school since the war began more than five years ago. "when will the worlds revulsion at such barbarity be matched by insistence that this must stop?" added the unicef director. a boy inspects a damaged site after shelling in the opposition-held town of hass south of idlib province syria october 26 2016. (trt world and agencies) other activists from the province circulated a photograph on social media of a childs arm seared off above the elbow still clutching the strap of a dusty black rucksack. shaky video footage depicted rescue workers sprinting towards the site of the raids and pulling a frail elderly man out of a collapsed building. the authenticity of the pictures and footage could not be independently verified. a boy walks past a compund that was damaged during shelling in the opposition-held town of hass south of idlib province syria october 26 2016. (trt world and agencies) the latest attacks took to 89 the number of civilians killed in air strikes on idlib province in the past seven days said the observatory. asked about the attack russias un ambassador vitaly churkin responded "its horrible horrible. i hope we were not involved." "its the easiest thing for me to say no but im a responsible person so i need to see what my ministry of defence is going to say." syrian regime forces and their russian ally have been accused by rights groups of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure. intentional attack a leading opposition group condemned the raids. the istanbul-based national coalition said russian and regime warplanes "targeted children in their schools deliberately and intentionally hitting civilians with high-explosive material". idlib province is controlled by the army of conquest an alliance of opposition groups and militants including the fateh al-sham front which changed its name from al-nusra front after breaking off ties with al qaeda earlier this year. a syrian man checks the damage at a school after it was hit in an air strike in the village of hass in the south of syrias opposition-held idlib province on october 26 2016. (trt world and agencies) syrian and russian warplanes regularly bomb idlib but air strikes have intensified in recent weeks according to the observatory. swathes of eastern syria is controlled by daesh. on wednesday us defence secretary ashton carter and his british counterpart michael fallon said an offensive to drive daesh out of its syrian stronghold of raqqah would begin in the next few weeks. the us-led coalition is currently supporting a 10-day-old assault by iraqi and kurdish forces on the terrorist groups main iraqi bastion of mosul. syrias conflict erupted in march 2011 with protests calling for the ouster of regime leader bashar al assad. the civil war pits bashar al assad backed by russia iran and shia muslim militias from lebanon iraq and afghanistan against an array of mostly sunni muslim opposition groups including some backed by turkey gulf monarchies and the united states. more than 300000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes. source trtworld and agencies related news iraqs vote violations | the global gag rule | slovenian elections thousands of afghan migrants walk into turkey for a better life are donald trumps new abortion policies just? 37th istanbul film festival egon schiele cy twombly | episode | showcase category news the blunders of mbs and how saudi arabia can reclaim its sovereignty sudanese president bashir dissolves government appoints new pm summit in tehran calls for political solution in syria talks in tehran are a last-ditch effort to avoid another syrian bloodbath a picture is worth a thousand words. follow us on instagram. follow trtworld dont miss out on the latest news we wont spam you and we respect your privacy. subscribe trt world on youtube subscribe to our youtube channel for all latest in-depth on the ground reporting from around the world. subscribe trt world on facebook like follow follow copyright �� 2018 trt world. trt world watch live tv schedule where to watch connect with trt world ios android youtube satellite coverage partner hotels corporate about trt world careers press releases documentary contact us legal terms of use privacy policy cookie policy
unicef says 22 schoolchildren and six teachers killed in syria raid