6 Dead in Northern Syria Airstrike

BEIRUT (AP) -- Activists say an airstrike on a Syrian village near the once-contested city of Aleppo has killed six civilians, including at least three children.

The Syrian Civil Defense search and rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, says rescue workers are pulling victims from the rubble of a home destroyed in a strike Thursday morning in the village of Babka, in the opposition-held countryside west of Aleppo.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says four of the victims were children.

Fighting and airstrikes have continued across Syria despite a cease-fire between the government and rebels that came into effect on December 30. U.S.-led coalition forces have also stepped up raids against Qaida-linked militants in northwestern Syria.

It was not clear who carried out the attack on Babka.

(KA)