Syria denies targeting civilians, tells US to criticize militants

Syria rejected as "fabricated" U.S. accusations that its forces are targeting civilians with airstrikes and said Washington would do better to criticize hardline ISIS militants who have killed American citizens, Reuters reported.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it was "horrified" by Syrian government bombings in Raqqa province which it said had killed "dozens of civilians and demolished residential areas."

"The Syrian Arab Army does not target civilians and will not do so," state news agency SANA quoted Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi as saying late on Thursday.

He said Washington got its information from "terrorist organisations" in Syria such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda's Nusra Front.

Tuesday's government strikes on the northern province killed 95 civilians, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Raqqa is the stronghold of ISIS, a hardline Al-Qaeda offshoot which has seized land in Syria and Iraq.

"Everyone has to choose between two options - either you are with terrorism, Daesh, Nusra Front and others or you are countering terrorism," Zoubi said.