Activists: Syrian government airstrikes kill 8 in rebel-held town near border with Jordan

Smoke from fires rise over Kobani, Syria, during fighting between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, as seen from a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014. The buildings, bottom, are within Turkey. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, and its surrounding areas, has been under assault by extremists of the Islamic State group since mid-September and is being defended by Kurdish fighters. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (The Associated Press)

prev next

Smoke from a fire rises following a strike in Kobani, Syria, during fighting between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, as seen from a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, and its surrounding areas, has been under assault by extremists of the Islamic State group since mid-September and is being defended by Kurdish fighters. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (The Associated Press)

Thick smoke from an airstrike by the US-led coalition rises in Kobani, Syria, during fighting between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, as seen from a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Monday, Oct. 20, 2014 Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, and its surrounding areas, has been under assault by extremists of the Islamic State group since mid-September and is being defended by Kurdish fighters. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (The Associated Press)

BEIRUT – Activists say Syrian government airstrikes hit a rebel-held town along the country's southern border with Jordan, killing at least eight people.

Activists with the Local Coordination Committees, and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the number of those killed in Tuesday's strikes is likely to rise as there are more victims under the rubble.

The LCC says Syrian government planes dropped crude explosives-laden canisters on the town of Nasib on the Syria-Jordan border. The Observatory says one child was among those killed.

The airstrikes are part of battles between Syrian government forces and Islamic rebel groups for control of the area.

Syrian government forces have been heavily bombing rebel areas in recent weeks, while the U.S-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against Islamic State militants elsewhere in Syria.