Syrian Air Strikes Kill More Than 80 Civilians

The Observatory said the assault had hit a commercial center in Douma, by most accounts 15 km (10 miles) upper east of Damascus.

He said the death toll is expected to rise because numerous wounded are in critical condition.

Rami Abdelrahman of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said locals had gathered at the site after the first strike to help evacuate the wounded when more raids hit.

Between January and June 2015, government forces carried out at least 60 aerial attacks on the area, killing some 500 civilians, the report said.

The attack on a marketplace near the centre of Douma at about 2pm on Sunday was one of the deadliest air strikes by the regime in the four-year civil war.

Footage posted online by activists showing mangled stalls and cars, with fruit that had been on sale lying in the dust and rubble.

Ahmad accused Turkey of setting up camps for training gunmen who later crossed into Syria to kill and plunder, and added that his ministry is preparing lawsuits against “terrorist” groups including the Islamic State group, al-Qaida’s branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front, and the Islam Army.

The deaths came as the UN’s new humanitarian chief visited Syria for the first time since his appointment in May.

The toll in Syrian government air strikes on a rebel-held town outside Damascus neared 100 Monday, as the UN s humanitarian chief expressed horror and appealed for civilians to be protected.

“Horrific pictures, many too graphic to be shown, show the scene of devastation after the bombings, with lifeless bodies – including those of children – lined up on the bloodstained floor of a makeshift clinic”, reports Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, opposition armed groups and foreign militias supporting the Syrian government have agreed to a 48-hour truce in flashpoint towns along the border with Lebanon.

Last Wednesday, a barrage of insurgent rockets killed 13 people in Damascus, and government air strikes in the nearby Eastern Ghouta region killed 31 people, the Observatory said.

The Associated Press says Syrian government air raids on rebel-held areas throughout the country have killed thousands over the past few years.

Amnesty has urged the UN Security Council to urgently impose targeted sanctions against all parties to the conflict in Syria responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as an arms embargo on the Syrian Government.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Kirby said “Assad has no legitimacy to lead the Syrian people”.

The war in and around Damascus – President Bashar al-Assad’s seat of power – has escalated in recent days.

Islam Army, one of the most powerful rebel groups in the eastern Damascus region, attacked government positions in Harasta on Saturday.