Syrian government behind new spate of barrel bomb attacks, says Human Rights Watch

The Syrian government has killed or injured thousands of people over the past year with indiscriminate attacks from the air, including the use of barrel bombs, according to Human Rights Watch.

The New York-based rights group used witness statements, satellite imagery and video evidence to document hundreds of attack in Aleppo province in the north of Syria and Deraa in the south.

The use of barrel bombs has been widely condemned by the international community. Literally barrels filled with dynamite and metal objects, their indiscriminate nature causes high civilian casualties.

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution a little over a year ago that called upon all parties to the conflict in Syria to end the indiscriminate use of barrel bombs and other weapons in populated areas.

Human Rights Watch cited a report released earlier this week by the Syrian Network for Human Rights which claimed that 6,163 civilians, including 1,892 children and 1,720 women, have been killed in government barrel bomb attacks since the passage of the UN resolution.

President Bashar al-Assad recently denied using the improvised explosive devices in an interview with the BBC, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary.

“For a year, the Security Council has done nothing to stop Bashar al-Assad’s murderous air bombing campaign on rebel-held areas, which has terrorized, killed, and displaced civilians,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“Amid talk of a possible temporary cessation of strikes on Aleppo, the question is whether Russia and China will finally allow the UN Security Council to impose sanctions to stop barrel bombs.”

This video from Human Rights Watch explains how barrel bombs work and shows their impact.