Barrel Bombs Kill Hundreds In Aleppo

At Least 246 Dead In Barrel Bomb Attacks In Syria

Detonated Barrel Bomb

Facts:

•  Brown Moses, blogger and Syrian Civil War investigator, first identified barrel bombs to the western world in an August 2012 report
• Russian military experts originally denied their existence but were ultimately proved wrong when video surfaced in October of 2012 from inside of a moving helicopter
• Some experts and institutions have classified barrel bombs as incendiary devices which are banned by UN sanctions.

 Barrel bomb attacks have killed at least 246 people and injured hundreds more in Aleppo since the beginning of February. These attacks have citizens of Syria and political activists enraged. For the past 2 months, the Assad regime has conducted a lengthy air campaign against sections of northern Aleppo. The high number of casualties has caused a mass flight of citizens from the targeted neighborhoods with some of them fleeing to Turkey. At one time, Aleppo was the economic epicenter for the country but has been divided by government control in the west of the city and rebel control in the east. The latest air raids were accompanied by military ground raids in neighborhoods on the eastern outskirts of the city. The Syrian government has not publicly confirmed or denied its reliance on the use of barrel bombs.

Syrian President, Bashar Hafez al-Assad

 The term barrel bomb arose when the weapons were first used in 2012. They can be old containers, oil drums, barrels, storage tanks, or any type of welded metal cylinder, which are packed with hundreds, sometimes up to a ton, of explosives, fuel or oil, and shrapnel such as; ball bearings, nails, saw blades, bits of rebar, or any other type of scrap metal. They are then loaded into a helicopter and pushed out of a rear door. These explosives have no type of guidance mechanism and are completely indiscriminate about where they land and whom they harm. In yesterday's attack, one of these explosives landed on a mosque that was being used as a makeshift school. At least 15 young boys were killed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said, "Each and every day that the barrel-bombing of Aleppo continues, the Assad regime reminds the world of its true colors."

Kerry later defended the U.S. policy on Syria on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" by saying, "It's fair to say that Assad has improved his position a little bit, yes, but he's still not winning. This is a stalemate."

Aftermath of a Barrel Bomb Attack

 Opposition groups blame the attack on al-Assad, directly. The Syrian government has stated previously that the attacks are targeting "terrorist groups" in neighborhoods of the city. Videos posted online showed frustrated citizens cursing al-Assad.

"There are children," some shouted.

In another video, one man stood over a child's body, sobbing, and said "Oh, God, We've had enough."

 "Why us?" one child told an activist as he filmed the aftermath. "We are just children," he added.

Inexpensive, easy to produce, and indiscriminate, the barrel bombs have proven to be deadly to both rebels and citizens alike. In one attack, a witness said that a barrel bomb was dropped near a food distribution line, killing over 20 people, including a toddler.

"A helicopter came, and suddenly, out of nowhere, a barrel hit this area. About 30 people died, including women and children who were waiting their turn so they can get the bread," one witness said.

An Undetonated Barrel Bomb

The first round of peace talks ended late January with Syria not committing to a second round of talks.

Yesterday, Syria missed an important deadline in the handing over of its chemical weapons to chemical weapons watchdog OPCW (The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons). Under a timetable set up by the United Nations organization, Syria was to have given up it's entire stockpile of chemical weapons yesterday. Only a handful of the most dangerous components for its chemical weapons- sarin, mustard gas, and VX gas- have been given up, all of which were said to have been given up by December 31, 2013. Delivery of all of its less-dangerous chemical components were supposed to be delivered yesterday, given the timetable set up by the U.N. To the day, only 4% of Syria's total chemical weapons have been delivered. Russia said Tuesday that Syria is drawing up a new timetable and will make more shipments. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad said that the country is still cooperating. Analysts say, however, that Syria is hiding much of its stockpile from the U.N.

Over 130,000 people have been killed in the Syrian Civil War to date.