DAMASCUS: As many as  13 people were killed during a US security operation in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor reported

According to accounts cited by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, four children and three women were killed during Thursday's operation, which involved an airdrop of forces and aerial targeting by aeroplanes in the rebel-held province. The military operation took place near the town of Atme in the Idlib region, close east of the Turkish border, according to the watchdog group.

According to the Observatory, the mission was met with resistance by rebels who fought alongside US soldiers after the airdrop. The operation and clashes lasted three hours.

The region was struck five times by US-led airstrikes during the operation, according to the Observatory, which highlighted that the target is unclear amid rumours that it was rebel leaders. The identity of those that were killed are also unknown.

The Syrian state news establishment made no immediate reaction or report on the operation.

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