MOSCOW, November 25 (Sputnik) — At least 36 civilians, including three children, were killed on Tuesday by 10 air strikes, carried out by the Syrian government's warplanes against the positions of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in the city of Ar-Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
According to the watchdog, the number of casualties may further increase because of the serious injuries sustained.
In an earlier report on Tuesday, the SOHR said the number of civilians, killed by the airstrikes, was 23.
Islamic State, which retains full control of Ar-Raqqa, designated the city as its capital.
IS jihadists have been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the militant group extended its attacks to Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories it held.
In a bid to avert the military advance of the extremist group, the United States and a number of its allies have formed an international coalition, which is currently carrying out airstrikes against the IS positions in both Iraq and Syria. Over 60 nations are contributing to the efforts, though not all of them take a direct part in the airstrikes.
