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Report: Air Raid Kills 54 IS Fighters and Civilians in Eastern Syria

by VOA News

   An airstrike killed at least 54 people, including Islamic State
   fighters and 28 civilians in Syria's eastern province Deir Ezzor, a
   human rights monitor said.

   The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack
   late Thursday hit an ice factory near the Iraq border, in an area
   controlled by the Islamic State group, where dozens of civilians had
   taken shelter.

   The monitor said it was not immediately clear whether planes from Iraq
   or the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS carried out the raid.

   The Syrian government news agency SANA blamed the U.S.-led coalition
   for the airstrike, saying that it killed 30 people and wounded many
   others.

   The Reuters news agency reports the U.S.-led coalition said that it or
   partner forces "may have conducted strikes in the vicinity" of the area
   where the Observatory said the killings occurred.
   The coalition has carried out attacks against areas held by IS in Syria
   in the past and has been supporting Kurdish-led fighters battling the
   extremist group.Iraqi warplanes also have carried out strikes in
   eastern Syria recently.

   IS has lost control of most of its territory in Syria, but still retain
   some pockets, including Deir Ezzor.