Strikes on Syrian school district, other areas, kill 28: Monitor

BEIRUT - Reuters

AFP photo

Air and missile strikes on a school district and other areas in insurgent-held Damascus surburbs killed at least 28 people on Dec. 13, including two children and a school principal, a group monitoring the Syrian war said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said unidentified  war planes hit the town of Douma, 10 miles (15 km) northeast of the capital, and surface-to-surface missiles fired by the Syrian army also hit the surrounding areas, including Eastern Ghouta. 

The areas have been under heavy bombardment in recent months. The Syrian army has said its strikes target insurgents that have launched attacks on government-held areas. 

The Observatory, which gathers information from a network of contacts on the ground, said at least 40 mortar bombs fired by insurgents in the eastern suburbs hit Damascus on Dec. 13, killing at least one child and wounding several. 

State news agency SANA said three civilians had been killed and at least 30 wounded, in mortar attacks targeting residential neighbourhoods of Damascus. Most of the victims were school students, it said, citing its reporter in the area.