Air Strikes Hit Eastern Aleppo Market, Killing 25

Putin: Nusra Front Using Civilians as Human Shields

The second day of a new round of escalated airstrikes against the Nusra Front-held eastern half of Aleppo has resulted in a number of civilian deaths once again, with reports from rescue services within the area putting the death toll at 25.

The largest single airstrike incident was in Fardous District, where an airstrike had hit a marketplace, killing 15 people. Other airstrikes were reported in and around the district, as well as in other districts of Eastern Aleppo, though there was no word of any new ground operations.

It was unclear if today’s airstrikes were conducted by the Syrian or Russian governments, but French TF1 television broadcast an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accused Nusra of using the civilian population of eastern Aleppo as human shields.

Putin went on to criticize the US for failing to target the al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria, saying he believes the US wants to use Nusra to pursue their own political goals in Syria. Putin also called on the US to agree to joint operations to protect aid deliveries entering Aleppo.

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.