Over 50 killed in a bloody day in Aleppo

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Barrels bombs and mortars rained down on Aleppo again on Sunday.

 

 Residents of the city accused Russian and Syrian planes of hitting rebel-held areas of the city more than 50 times on Sunday, Reuters reported. The Assad regime also dropped barrel bombs on densely populated neighbourhoods according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). 

At least were 32 killed, said an official from the Syrian Civil Defence Units, also known as the White Helmets, who said it was just the latest bloody day in a longer campaign. 

“This week-long campaign of bombing is very intense and day by day it’s getting worse,” Bebars Mishal was quoted by Reuters. “It is the worst we have seen in a while.”

The government airstrikes also targeted the Castello road, the main route into rebel-held parts of the city. Rebels and civilians would lose a vital supply line if the government succeeds in cutting off the road and encircling rebel-held areas.

The Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud has also been under repeated attack this past week. A Russian defense ministry blamed Islamist groups though Kurds in the city also face the wrath of anti-government rebels who accuse the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) of collaborating with the Syrian army.

The YPG tweeted on Friday “‘Moderate oppositions’ continue targeting civilians in #SheikhMaqsoud, #Aleppo: Over 1000 casualties since Nov. 2015.”

Government-held areas of the city also came under attack from rebels, reported state media. At least 20 people, mainly civilians, were killed by rebel missiles fired on neighbourhoods in the western part of the city. 

On Saturday, at least 24 were killed in rebel attacks on government areas. 

Multiple entities, including the government, Islamic State, and various rebel groups, have been fighting for control of Aleppo. A February ceasefire agreement was ripped to shreds in the city that has been divided for years.