43 civilians killed in Syria regime raid on ISIL: new toll

BEIRUT - Agence France-Presse

REUTERS Photo

At least 43 civilians were killed and 150 wounded in a Syrian regime air raid targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the northeast, a monitoring group said on Jan. 21, updating an earlier toll.
      
"The strikes hit a cattle market in the Tal Hamis area, which is controlled by ISIL," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria.
      
Previously it had said 27 people were killed in the Tuesday raid.
      
Tal Hamis lies in Hasakeh province which is mainly controlled by Kurdish militia or regime troops, but where the jihadists hold some areas.
      
The pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said dozens of ISIL members were killed in the operation south of Tal Hamis.
      
The jihadists "have been using the cattle market as a base for trafficking illegally pumped oil," it said.
      
ISIL controls a number of oil fields in eastern Syria and Washington says they provide the group with significant revenue.
      
The jihadists' black market oil infrastructure has been repeatedly targeted by US-led air strikes.