Airstrikes in Syria’s Aleppo Kill 42 Civilians

Airstrikes Target al-Qaeda-Held City of Atareb

A series of airstrikes against the city of Atareb, a Nusra Front-held city in the contested Aleppo Province of northern Syria, have killed at least 42 civilians and wounded dozens of others, according to local residents.

Locals reported 27 different air raids in the area around the city, which along with the capital of Aleppo are being intensely contested between Nusra and the Syrian military. Over the weekend, a flurry of airstrikes also hit a clinic in Atareb, killing one.

When the February ceasefire began in Syria, Nusra had little to no territory in Aleppo Province, but as they were excluded from the deal, they quickly launched an offensive against the area along the Idlib border, taking villages and eventually Atareb, and a good chunk of Aleppo itself.

A counter-offensive by the Syrian military has brought the two sides into direct, repeatedly combat, with both trading artillery fire and airstrikes that seem to kill a growing number of civilian bystanders. today’s attacks seem to continue that trend.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.