12 killed in Syrian helicopter attack: watchdog

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian citizens and security forces check a damaged building at a scene where a car bomb exploded in a pro-government neighborhood in central Homs, Syria. File photo

At least 12 people were killed -- including nine children -- when a Syrian army helicopter opened fire on a displaced persons’ camp near the country’s border with Jordan, a monitoring group said on Wednesday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven people were also wounded in the air raid.

The head of the pro-opposition Observatory said most of the victims were civilians who had fled their homes in the southern province of Daraa.

The region has seen intensified fighting in recent months, with rebels gaining ground against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian crisis, which erupted in 2011, has left more than 160,000 dead, according to figures compiled by the Observatory.