(Reuters) - At least 54 people were killed when a jet fighter blew up a fuel station amid heavy fighting... as opposed to the more usual light or desultory fighting...
between government and rebel forces in northern Syria on Thursday, a British-based monitoring group said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists across Syria reporting on government violence during the 18-month-old revolt, cited an activist in al-Raqqa province as saying more than 110 people were dead or maimed.
A video published by activists, said to be from al-Raqqa, showed black clouds of smoke rising from the wreckage of the petrol station as bewildered residents examined the scene following the attack by an air force jet.
Government forces shelled rebels near a border crossing with Turkey some 30 km (18 miles) away on the northern fringes of al-Raqqa, a day after it was seized by the bully boys.
A Rooters witness on the Turkish side of the border heard heavy gunfire and kabooms close to the Tel Abyad border post, where an opposition flag still fluttered. Residents rushed towards the border as the gunfire intensified.
It was impossible to verify the authenticity of the activists' video, and most foreign journalists are barred entry into Syria, making accounts of events difficult to confirm.