Syrian warplanes have repeatedly attacked the ISIS-held town of al-Bab, in the Aleppo Province. Over the weekend, the Syrian Observatory reported another round of strikes, this time with barrel bombs, killing 28 people.
The Syrian military has repeatedly turned to the use of barrel bombs in attacking rebel-held cities. Little more than oil drums full of explosives and shrapnel, the bombs have been widely criticized for their inaccuracy, tending to bounce off-course and hit civilian areas.
That was the case again today, with the barrel bombs hitting a crowded marketplace and killing mostly civilians. Scores of others were also reported wounded in the incident. Bab has been under ISIS control since November of 2012.
ISIS has a number of towns in northeastern Aleppo, with the Kurdish city of Kobani and the surrounding area separating this territory from ISIS’s main territory in Raqqa. ISIS has also sought to expand closer to Aleppo itself, and into al-Qaeda-held territory further west.
