Syria forces blamed for 14 attacks on medical facilities – UN
The U.N. secretary-general says Syrian government forces were behind 14 attacks on medical facilities last month, including seven that employed barrel bombs, The Associated Press reports.
In his monthly report to the Security Council, Ban Ki-Moon said seven medical workers were killed in the April attacks documented by the group Physicians for Human Rights.
The barrel bombs, used in half the attacks, have been sharply criticized by the international community because they lack accuracy and cause indiscriminate damage.
Ban says the overall effect has been devastating for Syrian civilians, with some 12 million people needing humanitarian aid.
The conflict is now in its fifth year, and more than 220,000 have been killed.