Syrian regime strikes kill four children in Aleppo

Syrian government airstrikes killed at least six civilians, including four children, in Aleppo province on Thursday, despite a fragile two-week-old truce.

In neighbouring Idlib province, at least 22 extremists were killed in airstrikes over the past 24 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Some were carried out by government aircraft, others by aircraft of the US-led coalition, the Britain-based monitoring group said.

The civilians were killed early on Thursday when a government airstrike hit a house in the village of Babka in the west of Aleppo province.

It said the death toll could rise because a number of the wounded were in serious condition.

Most of the dead in the Idlib strikes were fighters of the former al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham.

Two of the group's commanders were among 16 fighters killed in a coalition strike on their convoy on Wednesday, the Observatory said.

The strikes came despite a nationwide truce brokered by regime supporter Russia and rebel backer Turkey that has been in place since December 30.

The ceasefire has brought quiet to large parts of the country, but sporadic violence has continued in some areas, threatening the fragile agreement.

More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.