Airstrikes by Syrian government forces kill 182 civilians in a week

Beirut, Oct 27 (IANS/EFE) The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has intensified its airstrikes on anti-government forces over the past week, killing 500 people, 182 of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Monday.

Between Oct 19 and 26, the government forces launched a total of 602 airstrikes, 326 by aircraft and 276 by helicopters which dropped barrel bombs.

The air raids were reported in the provinces of Latakia, Hama, Homs, Idleb, Aleppo, Deir al-Zur, Quneitra, Deraa, Damascus and its suburbs, SOHR said.

Of the 182 civilians killed, 60 were children, 38 women and 84 men, while 300 others were injured, the SOHR said.

According to the latest UN figures, more than 200,000 people have been killed in Syria since the civil war in that country broke out in March 2011.

--IANS/EFE

ab/vm