Syria Civil War: Airstrikes Hit Aleppo, Suicide Bombing In Northeast Kills 6 Kurdish Security Personnel

A Syrian monitoring group claimed several airstrikes were conducted on neighborhoods held by insurgents in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday, according to reports. Meanwhile, a suicide bombing was also reported Saturday in the town of Qamishli in northeastern Syria targeting Kurdish forces, killing six of them.

A report by Reuters, citing the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said at least 20 air strikes hit areas held by rebels in Aleppo on the ninth day of violence in the region that has witnessed bombardments by both sides. The Reuters report added at least 250 civilians have been killed due to these bombings.

The report by SOHR did not specify if the attacks were carried out by warplanes of the Syrian government or its ally, Russia. The organization also said that the bombings in Aleppo by government forces have killed 140 people so far, including 19 children. Meanwhile, the shelling by insurgents in the area has killed 96 people over the same period, including 21 children.

The surge in fighting has led to the collapse of a two-month ceasefire which was brokered by the U.S. and Russia. An Associated Press report said the increased fighting has also triggered fears that the government may launch an all-out assault on Aleppo amid warnings of a humanitarian disaster in the 5-year-old civil war.

The explosion in Qamishli targeted a checkpoint of the Kurdish internal security forces, known as Asayish. It killed six security personnel and injured five others, according to another report by Reuters citing SOHR. No one had claimed responsibility for the bombing so far, although the Islamic State group or ISIS — which has been fighting the powerful Kurdish YPG militia — has carried out attacks against Kurdish forces in the region.

YPG reportedly controls vast swathes of land in northeastern Syria, including most of Hasaka province, the Reuters report said. The group has also been an effective partner on ground for the U.S.-led aerial campaign against ISIS in Syria.

Last week, the region of Qamishli also witnessed fighting between Kurdish forces and militiamen for the Syrian government, who have mostly avoided violence so far in the long-running civil war in the country.