40 killed in Douma as Assad, Russia intensifies deadly air strikes

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 40 civilians, including women and children, have been killed on Sunday in air and missile attacks on a school district in Douma city near Damascus, medics and activists 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.

Activists said regime army has pounded the rebel-held city with 12 cluster bombs and 53 missiles in the most brutal aerial bombing for months.

Syrian regime backed by Russia's jets has stepped up its devastating aerial campaign on rebel-held areas in Eastern Ghouta suburbs for over two months.

This week,  the aerial bombing on Eastern Ghouta have killed at least 100 people, according to monitoring groups. The deadly air strikes pounded towns of Douma, Kafr Batna, Irbeen, Jisrin and al-Abbadeh, Zamalaka and Hamouriyeh.

In northern province of Aleppo, at least 25 people killed Sunday in two Russian missiles fired into marketplace in northern Aleppo province, local monitor said.

The Russian missile attack on Sunday has targeted town of Maskenah in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, leaving 25 people, including women and children dead, and turned the market to rubble, the town's media center said.

Russian air force in Syria, which consists of around 50 planes and helicopters with a further 37 aircraft, have carried out around 3500 sorties in Syria since air strikes began on Sep.30, killing more than 1100 people, activists say.

Syria's war started with a pro-democracy movement that grew into an armed uprising and has inflamed regional confrontations. About 300,000 people have died in the conflict, according to United Nations estimates.