Hundreds of Syrians killed in Aleppo

Hundreds of Syrians have been killed in Aleppo in recent days as a result of government airstrikes. According to the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), 114 Syrians were killed on Sunday alone. The number of causalities included 21 children and seven women.

Local Coordination Committees in Syria reported that units from the Islamic Front had encircled the Central Prison in Aleppo, leading to clashes with forces from the Syrian regime.

SNHR also investigated the fighting in Aleppo between 15 and 18 December, and documented the deaths of 232 civilians, the vast majority killed by government airstrikes.

After conducting an investigation on the ground and analysing videos, Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced on Saturday that, “Dozens of government airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians, including children, in Aleppo governorate in the last month were unlawful.”

The government intensified its assault against opposition forces in Aleppo on 23 November. The ferocity of the attacks escalated between 15 and 18 December.

The international rights organisation found that, “The attacks have hit residential and shopping areas, often killing dozens of civilians, either missing possible military targets or with little indication of any intended military objective in the vicinity.”

During the attacks, Syrian aircraft have reportedly been dropping barrels filled with crude explosives, a tactic that Agence France Presse noted is “widely condemned as unlawful”.

The news agency also cited the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which “singled out the barrel bombing of three opposition districts in the northern city as especially deadly, saying at least 44 people had been killed, including six children”.