CNN, 3 Oct 2012 – A wave of blasts targeting Syrian government forces killed dozens of people at a popular Aleppo square Wednesday, opposition activists said.
At least 40 people were killed and about 90 others wounded when three car bombs exploded in Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The opposition group said most of the casualties were government forces. Aleppo is Syria’s most populous city and the major commercial center.
Syrian state-run TV, meanwhile, aired footage of the carnage, which included the bloody and mangled bodies of men in military uniforms. The government said at least 25 people were killed and 75 wounded.
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A fourth car bomb exploded near Aleppo’s chamber of commerce, the government and opposition said. The number of casualties from that incident was not immediately known.
The blasts highlight the escalating crisis in Aleppo, which has morphed into a major battleground between government and rebel forces.
Aleppo is also a major financial lifeline for President Bashar al-Assad’s government; a rebel takeover of the city would deal a significant blow to four decades of Assad family rule.
The deaths were not part of the Wednesday toll distributed by the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria At least 122 people have died across Syria on Wednesday, including 39 in Damascus and its suburbs and 24 in Idlib province, the LCC said.
More than 28,000 people have been killed across Syria since March 2011, the LCC says. CNN is unable to independently confirm casualty reports, as the Syrian government has severely limited access by international journalists.
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In other developments:
Shelling from Syria strikes house in Turkey
At least five people were killed and 10 injured when a shell landed on a house in the Turkish town of Akcakale, near the Syrian border, the town’s mayor said Wednesday.
The artillery shell was fired from the Syrian district of Tel Abayad, according to Turkey’s semiofficial Anadolu news agency. However, it is not yet clear what military force or group launched it.
Mayor Abdulhakim Ayhan said those killed were three children, their mother and a female neighbor. Two police officers were among those hurt, he said
The incident may worsen already tense relations between Turkey and neighboring Syria. The mayor said the shell that caused the deaths was the second to land Wednesday on Akcakale, in the province of Urfa.
UK steps up aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey
The United Kingdom will provide an additional 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) to help Syrian refugees through the Turkish winter, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Wednesday.
“Refugees from Syria face what is likely to be a bitterly cold winter. The supplies this extra funding will deliver will go some way to helping them through this difficult time,” Clegg said in a statement.
The United Kingdom has given 38.5 million pounds ($62 million) in humanitarian aid during the Syrian crisis. The added funding is expected to help about 10,000 refugees with supplies such as blankets, clothing and heaters
Turkey has taken in more than 93,000 Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the region.