Airstrike on Syrian Refugee Camp Leaves at Least 28 Victims

At least 28 people have been killed in an airstrike on a refugee camp in Syria. This camp is located around the city of Sarmada near the Turkish border and hosts refugees from the Syrian civil war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reported that the airstrike occurred on Thursday, May 5, and left more than 50 injured. The U.S. government condemned the attack, stating that "there is no justification for airstrikes against innocent civilians who have fled their homes." Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, emphasized that "people {in Syria} are in the most desperate situation imaginable, and military attacks against them are unjustifiable." According to AFP, women and children make up many of the victims of the airstrike on the refugee camp. Syrian opposition groups claim that two planes dropped four missiles on the camp and its surroundings. The city of Sarmada is near Aleppo, which has recently become the scene of intense and widespread clashes between armed opposition forces and troops supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. During this time, dozens have been killed in Aleppo and its surroundings. Until the early morning of Thursday, May 5, Aleppo was not among the areas where a ceasefire between the Syrian government and its opponents was in effect, but following the worsening humanitarian conditions, the Syrian government accepted a 48-hour ceasefire. Meanwhile, the Islamic State (ISIS) has reported the capture of the Shaer gas field in eastern Syria. ISIS claimed that during the capture of this gas field, 30 soldiers were killed and their heavy weapons, including tanks and missiles, were seized. This comes as Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, told his Russian counterpart that the Syrian army will not be satisfied with anything less than the complete defeat of the rebels against him. Mr. Assad informed Vladimir Putin that the army is preparing for "final victory." Russia and Iran have been military and financial allies of Bashar al-Assad's government during the five-year Syrian war, sending their armed forces to assist him. So far, more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced during the Syrian civil war.