Dozens dead as Russian bombs fall on Syrian marketplaces

Two marketplaces in northern Syria were hit by suspected Russian bombs on Tuesday, leaving 39 civilians dead.

A fuel market in Idlib province was targeted in one air raid, leaving 16 traders and shoppers dead.

Another 23 civilians were killed in a second attack Islamic State group-held village in Aleppo.

Five women shopping in the village market place were killed in the bombing.

The death tolls from both attacks are likely to rise due to the number of people suffering life-threatening injuries, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Four IS fighters were also killed in the second attack, Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the group, said.

Russia first bombed rebel territories in Syria on 30 September, increasing its attacks on opposition groups in Syrian from an air base in Latakia province.

Moscow says it is targeting 'terrorist groups' although the vast majority of its bombs have hit areas controlled by opposition groups, many at war with IS.

Critics say its air campaign is aimed solely at propping up the Syria's President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

A number of air raids have hit civilian targets such as school, hospitals and aid convoys.

On Sunday, a number of children were killed when Russian war planes hit a primary school in a rebel-held district of Damascus. 

IS controls much of eastern Syria, and is battling rebel and Kurdish groups in Aleppo province.

Syria's war started in March 2011, when peaceful demonstrators were shot by regime troops, leading to an armed rebellion from opponents of Assad.

More than 250,000 have died in four years of fighting, while millions have been made homeless.

More than 250,000 people have died since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, and millions have fled their homes in the war-torn country.