06/02/2014 10:31
Kerry: Fresh barrel bomb attack shows Syrian regime's 'true colors'
At least 15 boys were killed when Syrian forces dropped a barrel bomb on a mosque operating as a makeshift school in Aleppo, the opposition Syrian Coalition said Wednesday, according to CNN.
Barrel bombs are drums packed with explosives and shrapnel, which are then dropped from the sky.
Tuesday's attack is the second barrel bomb raid in two days in the northern Syrian city, which has become a flashpoint of the country's civil war.
"Each and every day that the barrel-bombing of Aleppo continues, the Assad regime reminds the world of its true colors," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement after the attack.
"Each and every barrel bomb filled with metal shrapnel and fuel launched against innocent Syrians underscores the barbarity of a regime that has turned its country into a super magnet for terror."
Later, Kerry defended U.S. policy toward Syria in an exclusive interview on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
However, he did not dispute entirely a U.S. intelligence assessment that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has regained some footing since agreeing to turn over chemical weapons to the international community to avoid possible military action against his regime.
"It's fair to say that Assad has improved his position a little bit, yes," Kerry said. "But he's still not winning. This is a stalemate."