Syrian troop shelling kills 16 in Aleppo

Activists say the latest Syrian Government shelling has killed at least 16 people in a rebel—held area of the northern city of Aleppo.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain—based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that the shells struck at the city’s Qadi Askar area. Abdurrahman says the shelling took place on Thursday and that it took hours to verify the number of the victims.

The Aleppo Media Center, another activist group, also provided a similar report.

Syrian forces have been shelling rebel—held parts of Aleppo for weeks, on many occasions unleashing barrels packed with explosives from military helicopters.

The shelling has taken place as Syrian ground forces inch closer to eastern parts of Aleppo, which rebels seized in July 2012.