30 killed in U.S.-led airstrikes in eastern Syria

At least 30 people were killed Friday by renewed U.S.-led airstrikes on a town in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, the latest in a series of strikes targeting areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS), according to the Syrian state media.

The fresh strikes targeted the town of Shufeh in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, said state news agency SANA. It added that most of the casualties are women and children.

The death toll could likely rise as many civilians are still trapped under the rubble in the town.

Last week, 45 people, mostly women and children, were killed by similar airstrikes in Shufeh and the town of Hajin, according to SANA.

U.S.-led airstrikes on the last IS-held pocket on the eastern bank of Euphrates River in eastern Deir al-Zour have recently intensified as the U.S.-backed Kurdish militias such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were planning a second wave of attacks on the IS after a failed attempt on Sept. 10.