Syrian rebels launched a new push in the northern province of Aleppo on Thursday to capture key symbols of the government and stormed a major section of a prison there, freeing hundreds of prisoners in the process, activists said.
The advance came amid a relentless air campaign by government forces that killed at least 11 people in an opposition held neighborhood of the provincial capital of Aleppo. Activists said government aircraft dropped so-called barrel bombs — containers packed with explosives, fuel and scrap metal that inflict massive damage upon impact.
At least 246 people, including 73 children, have died in the past five days alone in similar aerial bombardment of the city, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The rebels on Thursday declared their intention to liberate Aleppo’s central prison and the Kweiras military air base east of the city.