Turkey: Attacks against civilians show Assad's weakness, cruelty

The Turkish Foreign Ministry strongly condemned in a statement it released on Tuesday the regime's “barrel bomb” attacks in Aleppo. Barrel bombs are larger versions of pipe bombs, oil drums packed with shrapnel. The Assad regime has been dropping them on the city from helicopters for over a week.

The aerial bombardment of Aleppo continued into its ninth day on Monday, decimating buildings across the already ravaged city.

“Such attacks, which have resulted in the deaths of many civilians, including women and children, and have led to the destruction of the city's historical fabric, are inhumane,” the statement said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday said that at least 364 people have been killed in the attacks, including 105 children.

While the international community is engaged in efforts to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, the latest attack on Aleppo is considered a move by the Assad regime to strengthen its hand ahead of the Geneva II conference expected to take place next month.

The timing of the wave of attacks, the statement continued -- coming as efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria accelerate -- shows that the regime is not considering the legitimate demands of the people, and prefers such attacks.

“We call on the international community to take action against these unacceptable attacks, and call on the countries close to the Syrian regime to urge it to stop these inhumane attacks,” added the statement.