Over 70 killed in Syria's Idlib since regime resumed bombing

The Syrian Civil Defence force (sometimes known as 'White Helmets') documented the killing of 72 civilians in Idlib during February as a result of bombardment from Syrian regime forces.

The province was targeted with at least 1681 missiles, in addition to 67 air strikes and 116 cluster rockets.

Among the dead were 28 children and 22 women, as well as a number of civil defence volunteers, all the result of hostilities by regime-affiliated forces.

Most of the deaths occurred in Khan Shaykhoun, which has been under a bombing campaign for more than two weeks, with many residents also displaced. 

Idlib is covered by a ceasefire zone agreed between Russia and Turkey last year, which has seen airstrikes and shelling on the province - packed with hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees living in camps - greatly reduced.

But the takeover of Idlib by al-Qaeda linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, has seen Russia and the Syrian regime issue new threats against the province, with the hardline militant group not considered to be part of the truce agreement by Moscow.

HTS captured all of Idlib province from rebel groups in January, announcing that the affiliated Salvation Government would administer the areas, sparking fears from civilians that regime and Russian bombardments would resume.