Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The use of Scud ballistic missiles by the Syrian
military has caused a large number of civilian casualties, a human rights
group said.

Human Rights Watch asserted that Scud attacks by the regime of President
Bashar Assad have killed scores of people in mid-February. The New
York-based group said more than 140 people alone died in strikes by Scud B
missiles in the northern city of Aleppo over the last week.

“The Syrian government launched at least four ballistic missiles that
struck populated areas in the city of Aleppo and a town in Aleppo
governorate during the week of Feb. 17, 2013,” HRW said. “The attacks killed more than 140 people, including 71 children, and caused immense physical destruction.”

[On Feb. 27, the rebel Free Syrian Army said Hizbullah deputy
secretary-general Naim Qassem was killed in an attack in Syria near the Lebanese border. Hizbullah denied the claim.]

In a statement on Feb. 26, HRW said it visited four sites believed
attacked by the Scuds. The group said none of the targets around Aleppo comprised a military facility or asset.

“I have visited many attack sites in Syria, but have never seen such
destruction,” HRW researcher Ole Solvang said. “Just when you think things can’t get any worse, the Syrian government finds ways to escalate its killing tactics.”

HRW said the Scuds, believed to be the heritage Scud B, were launched
from a military base near Damascus. The group said 20 buildings were
destroyed in each of the targeted areas.

Syria began firing Scuds in December 2012 in what Western analysts said
marked an attempt to strike rebels in the north. But by 2013, the Scud
strikes focused on Aleppo, about 30 percent of which was controlled by
rebels, including Al Qaida-aligned groups.

“Human Rights Watch did not find weapons remnants at the attack sites,
and so was unable to identify the exact weapons used,” HRW said. “However, a
group of local activists in the Damascus countryside reported on their
Facebook page that they had observed missiles being launched toward the
north before three of the four strikes.”

  Aleppo, Bashar Assad, Free Syrian Army, Human Rights Watch, Naim Qassem, Report: Scud attacks by Syrian regime killed scores of civilians