Russian air strikes 'kill 200 civilians in Syria'

At least 200 civilians were killed in Russian air strikes in Syria from 30 September to 29 November, an Amnesty International report says. Quoting witnesses, the human rights group accuses Russia of using cluster bombs in civilian areas, and says such attacks could constitute war crimes. Moscow insists it is targeting only the positions of "terrorist" groups. Amnesty said in its report it is also researching concerns about the US-led coalition air strikes in Syria. The US has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths in its air bombardment of the so-called Islamic State (IS), which began in September 2014, although some monitoring groups say the toll could run into hundreds. Russia began air strikes in September this year, saying it was acting at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It is targeting IS and other groups it has designated to be terrorists, some of which are backed by the Wes