The United Nations envoy to Syria condemned barrel bombing raids reportedly carried out by the Syrian government, which have left more than 70 civilians killed.
Staffan de Mistura said in a statement,
“The news of aerial bombing by Syrian helicopters on a civilian market area of the Aleppo neighbourhood of Al Shaar deserves the strongest international condemnation.”
Syrian government helicopters reportedly dropped barrel bombs in the northern Aleppo province killing at least 70, on a day where air raids left more than 140 dead.
British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said "this is further shocking proof of the horrific and indiscriminate methods the Assad regime is using to kill and injure innocent civilians, including children."
"The use of barrel bombs must stop," said Mr de Mistura. "All evidence shows that the overwhelming majority of the civilian victims in the Syrian conflict have been caused by the use of such indiscriminate aerial weapons."
"While it is true that, unfortunately, the UN proposed freeze of heavy bombing in Aleppo did not materialize, it is nevertheless totally unacceptable that the Syrian airforce attacks its own territory in an indiscriminate way, killing its own citizens, as it brutally happened today in Aleppo," he added.