Serial airstrikes in Northern Syria Kill at Least 20

Thursday, October 18, 2012
Damascus: A series of government air strikes on rebel areas in the country's north has killed at least 20 people, says Syrian activists and medics.

According the media reports strikes erupts late Wednesday and early Thursday and hit a total of four towns in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, including the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan. Medics added that a number of children are among the dead.

Videos of the strikes posted online show leveled buildings and survivors pulling bodies from the debris. Activist claims and videos could not be independently verified.

International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Thursday that a temporary cease-fire he has called for in Syria could form the basis for a real truce in the war-torn country. Brahimi will travel to Damascus in the next few days in an attempt to broker the cease-fire.

The U.N.-Arab League envoy told reporters, Thursday after meeting Jordan's foreign minister that a respite in hostilities could build confidence and help bring about a longer truce in the 19-month-old conflict.

A previous cease-fire in April collapsed after just a few days, with each side blaming the other. Then-mediator Kofi Annan resigned from his post in frustration.
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