Members of the Syrian Civil Defence known as \u201cWhite Helmets\u201d and friends prepare to bury the body of citizen journalist Anas al-Dyab during his funeral in the rebel-held city of Idlib in northwestern Syria on July 21, 2019. \u2013 The young citizen journalist was among 11 civilians killed in air raids on Syria\u2019s Idlib region Sunday, rescue workers and a monitor said, as he filmed the Russia-backed regime bombardment of the battered enclave. Dyab, a photographer and videographer in his early 20s, was a member of the White Helmets who also contributed to AFP. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR \/ AFP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The White Helmets, rescue workers in rebel areas named after their distinctive hard hats, said the group \u201cmourns the fall of a hero Anas al-Dyab, a volunteer and media activist with the Syrian Civil Defence Centre in Idlib,\u201d in a Twitter post.<\/p>\n
An AFP journalist saw White Helmet members gather to bid farewell to their friend, whose body was laid on a thick red blanket.<\/p>\n
The Damascus regime and its Russian ally have stepped up their deadly bombardment of the jihadist-run region of Idlib since late April, despite a September buffer zone deal to protect the region of some three million people from a massive military assault.<\/p>\n
Khan Sheikhun, a town in the south of Idlib, has been particularly hit, forcing thousands to flee their homes there, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n
But Dyab \u201cchose to remain with his fellow volunteers in Khan Sheikhun till today,\u201d the White Helmets said.<\/p>\n
Raed al-Saleh, the head of the White Helmets, said Dyab was killed while \u201ctrying to show the world what\u2019s going on in Syria\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great loss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dyab, who was single, leaves behind his parents and three brothers, one of whom is held by the Damascus regime, Saleh said.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Hiding in a cellar<\/strong> \u2013The Observatory said Dyab was hiding in the cellar of a three-story building with two members of the Jaish al-Ezza rebel group when the strike happened.<\/p>\nAlso on Sunday, regime airstrikes killed 10 other civilians including three children in other parts of the bastion, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on sources inside Syria for its information.<\/p>\nSyria\u2019s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in January took full administrative control of the Idlib region, although other jihadists and rebels are also present.<\/p>\nThe Idlib region is supposed to be protected by a September 2018 deal between Russia and rebel backer Turkey, but a buffer zone planned under that accord was never fully implemented.<\/p>\nThe White Helmets, who are backed by the West, were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016.<\/p>\nBut Moscow and Damascus accuse the group of backing rebels and jihadists.<\/p>\nSyria\u2019s war has killed a total of more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Also on Sunday, regime airstrikes killed 10 other civilians including three children in other parts of the bastion, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on sources inside Syria for its information.<\/p>\n
Syria\u2019s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in January took full administrative control of the Idlib region, although other jihadists and rebels are also present.<\/p>\n
The Idlib region is supposed to be protected by a September 2018 deal between Russia and rebel backer Turkey, but a buffer zone planned under that accord was never fully implemented.<\/p>\n
The White Helmets, who are backed by the West, were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016.<\/p>\n
But Moscow and Damascus accuse the group of backing rebels and jihadists.<\/p>\n
Syria\u2019s war has killed a total of more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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