The Assad regime killed two civilians in a shelling on the Turkmen Mountain area of Syria's northwestern Latakia province on Saturday according to the Anadolu Agency.

According to the sources, regime forces attacked the area with artillery fire and missiles, while ground troops -- supported by warplanes -- struck opposition-held areas of the Kurd Mountains in the nearby Aleppo province.

The population in northern parts of rural Latakia known as Bayırbucak are predominantly Turkmens, who have suffered from constant Russia-backed regime attacks since November 2015, causing thousands to seek refuge in Turkey's neighboring Hatay province.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since 2011, when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with disproportionate ferocity.