Turkish border guards have killed at least eight Syrian refugees, including several children, as families were “fired on indiscriminately” after attempting to cross into the country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said. At least eight others were injured, according to the UK-based violence monitor, with the death toll likely to rise due to the number of people in “critical” condition.

The Observatory said in a statement: “Turkish border guards have committed and are committing massacres against several refugees fleeing from the brutality of the regime and its bombardment since the beginning of the year. The Syrian National Coalition, an opposition group based in Istanbul and supported by Turkey, gave a higher death toll of 11. It said many of the victims had recently fled the northern Isis-held town of Jarabulus.

In a statement, the Coalition expressed its "surprise and condemnation after this terrible tragedy against our brothers fleeing the regime". It added: "The deaths of defenceless Syrians contradicts the hospitality of the Turkish government and the Turkish people."

On the military side, Eight members of the Syrian opposition were killed while others were wounded by a guided missile launched by the regime forces, near al-Yamdiyyeh village in the northern countryside of Latakia. The Syrian Observatory for Human rights reported that the regime forces shelled the rebels locations near al-Yamdiyyeh Village, north of Latakia, killing eight members if the syrian opposition.

Last night, a missile fell near Bayt al-Hayek and al-Bassit village in the countryside of Latakia, causing material damages, but no casualties were reported. Noteworthy, the northern countryside of Latakia has been witnessing a decline in the military operations for weeks. Strikes by the United States-led coalition against Islamic State killed up to 744 civilians in the group’s epicenters in Iraq and Syria, an independent organization has said.

“Across Iraq and Syria, Airwars tracked a record 223 alleged Coalition casualty events during June, likely killing a minimum of between 529 and 744 civilians – a rise of 52% on May’s estimated totals,” said the London-based independent think-tank of journalists and researchers.

“June was the second deadliest month for civilians in Iraq and Syria since the start of Coalition actions in August 2014,” according to the report. The organization said it detected a 21% rise in munitions dropped on western Mosul during that month as operations successfully liberated the heartland of the Islamic State in the Old City area. It, did not, however, mention an exact number of civilian casualties in Mosul.

“In Syria, the sharp increase in munitions fired had a devastating impact on civilians. Likely deaths among civilians from Coalition actions rose by 47% from May, to an all time high,” said Airwars. “At least 415 non-combatants were likely killed, most of them in Raqqa governorate” .

 

U.S.-backed, Syria Kurdish paramilitaries launched an offensive early June to retake Raqqa, Islamic State’s largest haven in Syria, after months of  airstrikes and bombing. According to Airwars, the civilian tolls resulted from 3,049 air and artillery strikes in Iraq and 9,971 in Syria.

Syrian opposition fighters managed, on Thursday, to foil an extensive attack launched by the regime forces on the outskirts of Ayn Tarma Village, in the eastern countryside of Damascus. Qasioun News reported that the Syrian rebels foiled the regime forces’ attack on the outskirts of Ayn Tarma Village, in the eastern countryside of Damascus, destroying a T72 tank.

The Syrian opposition also revealed that its fighters managed to kill 15 members of the Syrian regime forces, during the ongoing battles in the area. Meanwhile, Army Aviation carried out several air strike on Kafr Batna and Arbyeen cities in the countryside of Damascus, causing only material damage to the area.

Furthermore, Army Aviation renewed its air strikes on Tal Barda’ya area in al-Sheikh Mountain, in addition to artillery shelling conducted by the army forces on the area. It is noteworthy that regime is escalating its military campaign on the countryside of Damascus, in order to retake the rebels-held areas, especially Ayn Tarma Village.