Syrian government airstrike hits market in northern city of Aleppo, killing at least 20 people

12/28/2013

BEIRUT — Activists say a Syrian government airstrike on a crowded vegetable market in a rebel-held neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo has killed at least 20 people.

For nearly two weeks, President Bashar Assad’s warplanes and helicopters have pounded opposition-controlled areas of the divided city. Activists say the aerial assault has killed more than 400 people since it began Dec. 15.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Saturday’s airstrike hit a marketplace in the Tariq al-Bab neighborhood. It says at least 20 people were killed and dozens were wounded.

Hassoun Abu Faisal, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center, put the death toll at more than 20, but said medical officials were still tallying the exact figure.