Red Crescent official killed in Syria

The head of the Syrian Red Crescent in the restive northwestern province of Idlib was murdered on Wednesday by "a terrorist group," official media reported.

"An armed terrorist group assassinated Abdelrazak Jbeiro, president of the Red Crescent organisation in Idlib, in the Khan Skeikun area," Sana news agency said.

"The group opened fire with a machinegun, hitting him in the head. He was taken to hospital where he died," it added.

The Syrian regime blames "terrorist gangs in the pay of foreigners" for the popular unrest that has swept the country since mid-March, with the United Nations estimating that at least 5,400 people have been killed.

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