In Syria, at least 11 people were killed in a shelling by the Syrian Army in Idlib’s rebel-held city of Ariha. Four children and a teacher were reported among the victims. The shelling followed a roadside bomb attack in Damascus which killed at least 14 military members, according to state TV.

Amid the ongoing conflict, Human Rights Watch is urging countries not to return refugees to the war-torn nation due to ongoing human rights abuses by the Syrian government. This is HRW researcher Sara Kayyali.

Sara Kayyali: “People who are stopped at checkpoints, who are kidnapped from their homes, who are subjected to extensive torture and even alleged sexual violence in detention facilities, only for returning to Syria. The stories that we heard really showed how the issue of security, the issue of arbitrary detention and the issue of torture are still front and center in government-held Syria.”