UN envoy condemns barrel-bomb attack in Syria
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 31 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, UN envoy condemns barrel-bomb attack in Syria, 31 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4ca15.html [accessed 4 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 31, 2015
UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has condemned the reported killing of some 71 civilians by barrel bombs dropped by government helicopters in two attacks in the northern Aleppo Province.
"The news of aerial bombing by Syrian helicopters on a civilian market area of the Aleppo neighborhood of Al-Shaar deserves the most strong international condemnation," de Mistura said in a statement after the May 30 attacks.
A monitoring group in Syria says the barrel bombs also wounded dozens.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on May 30 that at least 59 people died at a market in Al-Bab, a town controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group.
Twelve were killed in Al-Shaar, a rebel-held neighborhood in Aleppo.
Barrel bombs are crude weapons made of oil drums, gas cylinders, or water tanks packed with explosives and scrap metal that are usually dropped from helicopters.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has rejected reports that his forces drop barrel bombs.
But SOHR says it has documented 17,000 barrel bombings by the Syrian regime since October 2014.
Based on reporting by AFP and AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
