9 Civilians Dead in Syria Regime Raid on IS Stronghold

Nine civilians, including a woman, were killed in a Syrian government air raid Wednesday on the city of Raqa, stronghold of the Islamic State jihadist group, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four women and a child were among 16 other civilians wounded in the bombing in Raqa, which has also been the target of air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition.

The regime has this week stepped up air raids on areas across war-torn Syria held by jihadists and other rebel groups.

According to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on activist and medical sources on the ground, government aircraft have carried out almost 1,600 raids since October 20 killing 396 civilians, including 109 children.