Aleppo air strike kills 15

The violence in Syria continues. An air strike has killed 15 people in Aleppo.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a government fighter had struck a district where Kurdish rebels have been battling forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Nine children were among the dead. The United Nations estimates that the total death toll in Syria’s conflict now stands at 70,000.

Activists report that body counts of 200 per day are not uncommon. Over a million have fled the country, with four million internally displaced.

Kurds in Syria are spread over a large part of the region, but are divided over whether to support the revolt.

Assad’s grip in the north and east of the country has weakened and rebels have pushed into Deraa, from where they could mount a serious assault on the capital.

Despite international condemnation, Assad claims a rebel victory would spell disaster for Syria and destabilise the Middle East for decades.