DAMASCUS
At least 44 civilians, including six children and a woman, were killed on Thursday when Assad regime forces shelled areas in a number of Syrian cities and villages under opposition control.
"The Assad regime's forces used barrel bombs, vacuum bombs, mortar shells and tanks to attack areas under the control of the opposition," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Areas that came under attack include Aleppo, Daraa and Idlib.
According to the UN, more than 220,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in 2011 between pro-regime forces and armed opposition groups.
