DAMASCUS, Syria, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A Syrian military airstrike killed at least 20 people in the mountainous Latakia province, an opposition group said Saturday.
The airstrike happened overnight Saturday, CNN reported.
Advertisement
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (second right), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (second left) Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu (left) and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel deliver remarks to the media prior to a meeting at the State Department on August 9, 2013 in Washington, D.C. This meeting comes after the announcement that President Obama canceled his meeting with Russian President Putin over Snowden asylum tensions. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said at least 80 people were killed by army forces on Friday, including six children, seven women, and one torture-related death, the group said in a statement.
Twenty-three people were killed in the Syrian capital Damascus, the human rights group said.
An estimated 100,000 people have died in the country since the civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and those who want him out of power erupted more than two years ago. The violence has created more than 1.8 million refugees.
The conflict in Syria was a main topic of conversation during a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and their Russian counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Sergey Shoygu on Friday in Washington, CNN said.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the leaders had "exchanged views on Syria and the importance of supporting a political process to end the violence."
Advertisement
"Our goal is the same. We need to start a political process," Lavrov said before the four met.
