At least 44 people were killed in an organized air strike by the Syrian fighter jets in the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday. Government forces have been engaged in constant bombing and attacks on Maaret al-Numan for more than a week as the strategically located town connects Syria's two major cities, Aleppo and Damascus.
The bloody attack left more than 200 injured and it is reported that a majority of the dead are women and children. The attack is believed to be a retaliation attack to a video posted by the activists showing what they said was a government helicopter shot down by rebels.
According to the LA Times, the air strike started when a MiG warplane fired missiles at a residential neighbourhood around noon which brought down four buildings and four homes to the ground and severely damaged a nearby mosque.
The article quoted an opposition activist who said at least 15 children were killed in the attack. Details of an accurate death toll and other accounts of the war situation in the country is not known to the outside world because the Syrian government does not allow foreign journalists in the conflict zone.
Even as the United Nations-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is scheduled to visit the country on Saturday, the daily death toll continues to top 150 regularly. Brahimi, in his second visit to Damascus, will push for a four-day cease fire during the time of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.
Meanwhile, a car bomb went off in the capital city, near the Interior Ministry in the Kfar Souseh neighbourhood and Free Syrian Army rebel militia claimed responsibility for the attack.
A video was taken at the moment of the explosion and the narrator said, "The Abdullah bin al-Mubarak militia strikes the biggest security compound in Damascus in Kfar Souseh."
Details of the blast that was triggered from a remote-controlled vehicle and struck the checkpoint in front of the ministry, is not known yet.
