Syrian regime dropped 10,500 barrel bombs this year

The Syrian regime has used 10,423 barrel bombs in 19,205 air raids between the start of this year and the end of June, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

According to the observatory, airstrikes targeted several villages, towns and cities in Syria from the province of Al-Quneitera in the south to the province of Al-Hasakah in the north-east, and from Aleppo to the province of Daraa.

The helicopters dropped 10,423 barrel bombs on different areas in the provinces Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Al-Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, Al-Quneitera, Al Suwaydaa, Daraa, Idlib and Lattakia.

The warplanes carried out at least 8,782 raids on areas in the provinces of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Al-Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqa, Al-Quneitera, Daraa, Al-Suwaydaa, Idlib and Lattakia.

Some 2,916 civilians were killed as a result, including 456 women and 665 children, and a further 18,000 were wounded while tens of thousands were displaced. The aerial bombardment also resulted in the destruction of both public and private property.

SOHR said explosive barrels and air raids resulted in the death of 1,213 fighters from Al-Nusra Front, ISIS, and rebel and Islamic battalions while hundreds more were wounded.

It held the UN Security Council responsible for the intensification of air raids because of its reluctance to issue a binding decision to stop the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas.