All of the children were under the age of 18. Two brothers and another relative were killed in another house in the same air attack, the Britain-based group said. It said a regime barrel bomb attack in the Al-Karak al-Sharqi area killed six people in the same family, including three women and a child, as well as a couple.
Two more civilians died in raids on the rebel-held area of Tafas. “The regime has intensified its air campaign after losing ground in Daraa province in recent months,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
It was in Daraa that peaceful demonstrations broke out against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, prompting a harsh crackdown that led to armed rebellion. “The regime is trying to make up for its losses, but is bombarding houses where there are women and children,” Abdel Rahman said.
Rebels have gained two significant victories over the army by taking the main border crossing point with Jordan and the ancient town of Bosra al-Sham.
Pro-regime Syrians support army but dodge draft
Young Syrian men in regime- controlled areas are using any means necessary, including violent protests, to avoid military conscription, even if they support the government.
More than 80,000 soldiers and other pro-regime fighters have been killed in the four-year-old conflict, out of a total of roughly 220,000 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “I’m with the regime but I am a deserter, because military service in Syria means death. Very few young men accept to enlist because at our age, no one wants to die,” said George, a Christian student from Damascus.
As the territory that has fallen out of regime control is predominantly Sunni Muslim, the government is heavily recruiting from among the Druze, Christian, Alawite, and Ismaili minorities. Now these communities feel they have paid a heavy price to defend President Bashar al-Assad’s rule against deadly opponents including Al-Qaeda-linked militants and the Islamic State jihadist group.