18 Children Killed in Aleppo School Bombing

Press Statement

Syrian Coalition

Istanbul, Turkey

December 17, 2013

On Monday, December 16, the Assad regime’s air force hit Tayba Primary School in al-Inzarat neighborhood in Aleppo. At least 18 children, 2 female teachers, and a male from the school staff, were killed. Nearly 40 people were injured, some of them critically. The attack happened just as students were asked to evacuate the school after many explosive barrels fell on neighboring areas.

The Assad regime continued bombarding neighborhoods in Aleppo with explosive barrels early today. At least 43 civilians were killed in al-Sha’ar neighborhood, including 5 children. The blitz, which activists in the city described as “unprecedented,” is aimed at punishing civilians and covering up the regime’s failed attempts to retake parts of Aleppo in the past few weeks.

The recent escalation of violence underscores the regime’s unwillingness to accept a political solution to the conflict in Syria. The international community is not putting the pressure needed on the regime to stop the violence and engage in a political process that would ultimately achieve the Syrian people’s aspirations for freedom and democracy.

We ask for Mercy for our martyrs, health for our wounded, and freedom for our detainees.

Long live Syria and its people, free and with honor.