Amnesty says Aleppo civilians suffering 'unthinkable atrocities' at hands of Syrian govt forces

Amnesty International has claimed that civilians in Syria's second city of Aleppo are going through "unthinkable atrocities" as government forces and many rebel groups commit war crimes on a daily basis.

A report prepared by the watch group said that the government aircraft launched "systematic attacks" using barrel bombs-oil barrels, fuel tanks or gas cylinders packed with explosives, fuel, and metal fragments-on rebel-held areas in Aleppo between January 2014 and March 2015, reported the BBC.

The report said that their targets included at least 14 public markets, 12 transportation hubs, 23 mosques, 17 hospitals and medical centres, and three schools, adding that the vast majority of fatalities from the eight attacks that were probed by Amnesty were civilians.

According to the Violations Documentation Center, an activist-run monitoring group, at least 3,124 civilians and 35 rebel fighters were killed over the same period in Aleppo.

The Syrian government recently stepped up its offensive in Aleppo in order to oppose a rebel assault.

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has consistently denied that barrel bombs were being used by his forces on civilians.