DAMASCUS: At least 23 people, including six children, have been killed in Russian air strikes on a market in a Damascus suburb, witnesses said.
Baraa, a Syrian activist in Douma, said Russian air strikes had hit the Kouatly market in Douma, just outside of the capital. Several people were critically wounded.
‘We have been hearing warplanes roaming above us. The air strikes targeted a busy market,’ he told Al Jazeera international media center.
‘Most of those killed and injured are [adult] women and men. We know those warplanes are Russian because of the type of missiles that were used.
‘The rebels also have special devices that can intercept signals from approaching warplanes; they are Russian,’ Baraa said.
The Syrian helicopters also dropped at least 16 barrel bombs against the city of Daraya west of the capital Damascus amid reports of injuries.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the toll was expected to rise because of the number of people seriously wounded.
Footage of the aftermath posted on YouTube purportedly showed people attempting to carry the injured into vans for safety, away from the burning remains of the market.
An officer from the Douma branch of the Syria Civil Defence department, who wished to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera that at least three air strikes had targeted residential areas in the suburb within one hour.
‘The air strikes are targeting the centre of Douma, including a market and residential street,’ he said.
