11 KILLED IN FOREIGN BACKED MILITANTS MORTAR ATTACK ON ALEPPO

Aleppo, 11 Rabi’ul Awwal 1435/2 January 2015 (MINA) – At least eleven people have been killed in a mortar attack by foreign-backed militants on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

The attack was carried out on Thursday when the militants fired three mortar shells, which fell in an area of the city known as New Aleppo.

The attack also injured 20 other people and caused heavy material damage. A London-based opposition monitoring group said on Thursday that the conflict in Syria has claimed more than 76,000 lives in 2014.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, over 33,000 of those killed were civilians, including over 3,500 children. Press Tv quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Friday.

The opposition source said 2014 was the deadliest year since the conflict in Syria began back in 2011.

The United Nations (UN) says more than 200,000 people have so far been killed and millions displaced due to the deadly crisis in Syria.

The Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating in Syria.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to push ahead with its efforts to root out terrorism in the country and establish national reconciliation.

In the final hours of 2014 on Wednesday, Assad paid a visit to the army soldiers deployed to an area near the capital, Damascus, where he hailed the Syrian soldiers for their victories against terrorist groups operating in the country. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)