Air raids on Aleppo kill nearly 2000

Syrian government air raids on rebel districts of Aleppo and surrounding areas have killed 1963 civilians since January, a monitoring group says.

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A Syrian man reacts as residents and rescue workers search the rubble for survivors on May 27, 2014 following a reported air strike by government forces (AAP)

Barrel bombings and other Syrian government air raids on rebel districts of Aleppo and surrounding areas have killed 1963 civilians since January, including 567 children, a monitoring group says.

A total of 283 women were also among those confirmed killed in the air strikes, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground for its reports.

The Britain-based monitoring group said on Friday that the victims it documented were killed between January 1 and Thursday night in rebel-held areas of the northern city and the surrounding countryside.

Control of Aleppo, Syria's former commercial hub, has been divided since a rebel offensive in 2012.

Government aircraft launched a bombing campaign against rebel-held districts in the east in mid-December, frequently dropping shrapnel-packed barrel bombs.

The use of the munitions - which are unguided and cannot be directed against military targets - has been condemned by the international community and human rights groups.


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Source: AAP



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