Air strikes hit Kafr Nabuda as Syria army battles jihadists Smoke plumes billow following reported Syrian government forces' bombardment in the southern countryside of the largely jihadist-controlled region of Idlib. The jihadist-dominated region is nominally protected by a buffer zone deal, but the government and its ally Russia have escalated their bombardment in recent weeks, seizing several towns on its southern flank. The United Nations has warned that an all-out offensive on the Idlib region would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe for its nearly thee million residents. IMAGES