Rise in Syrian civilian deaths since start of Russian air campaign 'troubling' - U.S.

Reuters
Men ride motorcycles as smoke rises because of, what activists said was, an airstrike carried out by the Russian air force in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria October 24, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/Files

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has seen a "marked and troubling" increase in reports of Syrian civilian casualties since the start of the Russian air campaign on Sept. 30, a concern U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has raised with Moscow, the State Department said on Tuesday. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said non-governmental groups had issued "extremely disturbing" reports that Russian air strikes had killed hundreds of civilians, including emergency response workers, and had hit medical facilities, schools and markets. "We've seen a marked and troubling increase in reports of these civilian casualties since Russia commenced its air campaign there," Toner said, noting that Kerry had raised the issue in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and David Alexander; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)