Four children have been killed on their way to school as Syrian government forces shelled a rebel-held village in north-western Syria.
The shelling on Monday was aimed at the village of Maaret Al Naasan, in the Idlib province that is home to more than three million people, opposition activists said.
Hajj Ahmed, the principal at Al Amal school, said two of the pupils were from the eighth year, one was from the seventh year and the other from the ninth. He said the attack happened at about 11.15am.
“They were on their way to start their school day and this strike by the criminal regime hit,” he said.
The boys were killed about 50 metres away from the school. Their blood-splattered school bags — carrying the markings of the UN children’s agency Unicef — were still on the ground some time after the shelling, AP reported.
The bodies were later put in black bags and buried in the village’s cemetery.
Unicef spokeswoman Juliette Touma condemned the attack.
“This is a stark reminder that the war on children continues,” said Ms Touma. “Every child in Syria, wherever they are, has the right to go to school in safety.”
The rebel-held region is home to one million children, Ms Touma said, many of them displaced several times during the conflict. She said 70 per cent of children killed in Syria last year were in and around Idlib province.
Ms Touma said there have been 751 attacks on educational centres and personnel since the conflict began.
An opposition war monitoring group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and Idlib-based activist Hadi Abdullah also reported that the four pupils were killed while on their way to school. The Observatory said the four were all boys under the age of 18. It did not provide further details.
Many in Idlib, the country’s last major opposition stronghold, are internally displaced by the country’s civil war which began after a brutal military crackdown against a popular uprising in 2011.
Russian attacks on Idlib continue
Monday’s shelling came as Russian warplanes reportedly conducted strikes on other parts of Idlib. The Observatory and the Thiqa news agency, an activist collective, said Russian aircraft attacked southern parts of the province on Monday.
Russia joined Syria’s conflict in September 2015, helping tip the balance of power in favour of its ally, President Bashar Al Assad.
Even after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russian warplanes have continued to conduct air strikes in Idlib, aiming at suspected insurgent positions, as well as in central Syria, where sleeper cells of the ISIS group are active.
However, the Observatory says that the number of Russian strikes have dropped since late February.
Syria’s 11-year conflict has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s prewar population of 23 million.
Dubai World Cup draw
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Available: Now
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Hales' batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
