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Several dead in northwest Syria fighting

Civilians were killed in both government and rebel territory on Sunday.

A drone images shows Syrian demonstrators gathering during a protest in the village of Maaret al-Naasan in Syria's Idlib province on May 1, 2020, to protests against a reported attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, on a protest the previous day. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
A drone image shows Syrian demonstrators gathering during a protest in the village of Maaret al-Naasan in Syria's Idlib province on May 1, 2020, to protest against a reported attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by a former al-Qaeda affiliate, on a protest the previous day. — OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Intense fighting in northwest Syria left several people dead on Sunday as the battle continues over the last rebel stronghold in the country. 

Russian airstrikes killed one and injured two others near the town of Sarmada in the northwest Idlib province. The strikes hit an industrial facility as well as trucks, the Turkish state Anadolu Agency reported. The incident took place close to the Turkish border. Syrian army artillery also killed seven civilians and injured 14 medics in an attack on a hospital in the area, according to Reuters. 

Turkish-backed rebel forces also killed two Syrian civilians and injured several others in a missile attack on Aleppo, the Syrian state SANA news outlet reported. 

Parts of the Idlib province and the countryside west of the city of Aleppo are the last major territories Syrian rebel groups control in the country. Much of the Idlib province is run by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Turkish-backed Syrian National Army groups also control several areas near the Turkish border. The Syrian government, backed by Russia, is currently fighting to retake these territories.

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