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Syria barrel bombs 'kill dozens in Islamic State areas' | Syria barrel bombs 'kill dozens in Islamic State areas' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Syrian planes and helicopters have dropped barrel bombs on Islamic State-held areas in the north-east, killing some 40 people, activists say. | Syrian planes and helicopters have dropped barrel bombs on Islamic State-held areas in the north-east, killing some 40 people, activists say. |
The barrel-bombs, crudely made drums of explosives, were dropped during Thursday and overnight, targeting al-Bab and Qabaseen near Aleppo. | The barrel-bombs, crudely made drums of explosives, were dropped during Thursday and overnight, targeting al-Bab and Qabaseen near Aleppo. |
Activists say the government has stepped up air raids in recent days. | Activists say the government has stepped up air raids in recent days. |
Some 200,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad erupted in 2011. | Some 200,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad erupted in 2011. |
Another 3.2 million people have fled Syria and 7.6 million have been displaced inside the country. | Another 3.2 million people have fled Syria and 7.6 million have been displaced inside the country. |
Al-Bab, a city of about 100,000 people, has witnessed heavy government air strikes since September, when a US-led coalition started targeting IS in Iraq and Syria. | |
One Qabaseen resident, Yousef al-Saadi, told Reuters via Skype: "People were going about scraping a living and there were no armed groups in the market, only poor people. Why is Assad killing us? May God bring vengeance on him." | One Qabaseen resident, Yousef al-Saadi, told Reuters via Skype: "People were going about scraping a living and there were no armed groups in the market, only poor people. Why is Assad killing us? May God bring vengeance on him." |
The UN and rights groups have repeatedly accused Syria of targeting civilian areas. | The UN and rights groups have repeatedly accused Syria of targeting civilian areas. |
On Friday, the Combined Joint Task Force said that the US-led coalition had carried out another 31 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. | |
Sixteen of Friday's strikes were in Syria, with 13 of those targeting areas around Kobane on the Turkey border. | |
The 15 air strikes in Iraq were in seven different areas. | |
What are barrel bombs? | What are barrel bombs? |
Barrel bombs are large cylindrical metal containers filled with explosive and shrapnel that are typically rolled out of the door of a helicopter. | Barrel bombs are large cylindrical metal containers filled with explosive and shrapnel that are typically rolled out of the door of a helicopter. |
The BBC's Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale says that the bombs were initially dropped from a low altitude, which afforded a reasonable degree of accuracy. | The BBC's Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale says that the bombs were initially dropped from a low altitude, which afforded a reasonable degree of accuracy. |
However Syrian government helicopters have been forced to drop them from greater heights because rebel fighters have managed to acquire surface-to-air missiles. This makes the air raids less accurate. | However Syrian government helicopters have been forced to drop them from greater heights because rebel fighters have managed to acquire surface-to-air missiles. This makes the air raids less accurate. |
Despite being rudimentary weapons, their destructive power is considerable. | Despite being rudimentary weapons, their destructive power is considerable. |
They are only one part of the arsenal that Syria has employed against civilian areas and their use could well constitute a war crime, our correspondent adds. | |