Syrian Military Now Using Lethal Barrel Bombs
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Saleh Leila/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Barrel bombs have become the Syrian government’s new weapon of choice as it continues to bombard rebel strongholds in the northern city of Aleppo.
With chemical weapons currently being disposed of in Syria, forces in defense of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime are now using cruder but similarly lethal arsenals of barrels filled with explosives, nails and other shrapnel.
Upon impact, these barrel bombs are capable of killing and wounding dozens of people, sometimes more.
They’ve also become a new source of anxiety for people in Aleppo since their reach extends beyond the rebels, resulting in many civilian casualties.
Aleppo has been under siege for nine days as the military tries to weaken opposition forces to put Assad’s regime in a stronger negotiating position ahead of the scheduled peace talks in Geneva one month from now.
However, like other broken plans to hold a summit that might end the nearly three-year-long conflict, there’s no guarantee these talks will get off the ground either.
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