Child killed in Russian, regime shelling in northwest Syria

A child was killed Thursday in shelling by the Syrian regime and Russia in Aleppo province, according to reports.

The boy died when regime and Russian forces shelled the town of Kafr Ama, said the Syrian Civil Defence, otherwise known as the White Helmets.

The brother of the young boy killed in Kafr Ama was injured during the strikes.

"These terrorist attacks of bombings and shelling, which target vital areas in north-western Syria, threaten the stability of civilians. They are a systematic policy aimed at spreading terror among civilians and preventing them from living normal lives," the White Helmets said in a statement.

"The international community must put an end to these deadly terrorist attacks and hold the perpetrators accountable," they added.

The group said that they have responded to more than 400 regime and Russian attacks on civilians in northwest Syria that have killed at least 98 people since the beginning of this year.

Elsewhere in Aleppo province, four civilians were injured Thursday when a motorcycle bomb exploded at a market in the city of Afrin, the White Helmets said.

The city of Darat Izza and the villages of Anab and Baldaq Kabir were also bombed, the White Helmets said, though no injuries or casualties were recorded.

More than 500,000 people have died in Syria since war began in 2011, when the Assad regime pursued a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy activists.

The United Nations warned last week that the 11-year war is at risk of boiling up once again.