Syrian aid convoy attacked as bombs kill child

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the makeshift bombs were dropped on two rebel-held districts of Aleppo. A child and a woman are among those who died, the Observatory said.

The attacks are part of a campaign by President Bashar Assad’s forces to wrest control of Aleppo, parts of which were seized by rebels in mid-2012.

Barrel bombs are containers packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives. They are loaded onto Syrian military helicopters and pushed out of the rear door.

Elsewhere, two trucks carrying food and medical supplies into rebel-held neighbourhoods in the central Syrian city of Homs turned back under heavy fire, leaving four paramedics wounded as a ceasefire faltered.

In Homs, Governor Talal Barrazi said that over 600 people have been evacuated from rebel-held parts of the city, in a rare ceasefire with rebels.

The evacuation is part of a three-day truce that began on Friday between government forces and armed rebels to allow hundreds of women, children and elderly men to leave opposition-held parts of Homs, and to permit the entry of food.

Forces loyal to Assad have blockaded rebel-held parts of Homs for over a year, causing widespread hunger and suffering among residents. The United Nations mediated the truce.

However, Mr Barrazi told the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV that the trucks were targeted by two roadside bombs and a mortar shell from the rebel side.

Homs activists denied there had been roadside bombs and said the convoy was attacked by mortar shells fired by government forces.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent said on its Facebook page that its members were able to deliver 250 food parcels and 190 parcels containing detergents and medicines to the central area of Hamidiyeh despite being targeted by several mortar rounds. It added that one of its members was lightly wounded and two trucks were damaged.

Al-Mayadeen aired live footage from the city’s Clock Square showing two white trucks with Syrian Arab Red Crescent markings. A reporter said the radiator of one truck was hit by a bullet.

UN humanitarian chief Baroness Amos said she was disappointed the three-day humanitarian pause was broken and that aid workers were targeted.

“Today’s events serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that civilians and aid workers face every day across Syria,” she said.

“I continue to call on those engaged in this brutal conflict to respect the humanitarian pause, ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the safe delivery of aid. “

Homs city was one of the first areas to rise up against Assad in 2011 and has been particularly hard hit by the war.

Over the past year, the government has regained control over much of the city, except for a few parts of the historic centre.

A coalition of exiled Syrian activists said yesterday they feared the agreement would be used as a “prelude to the regime destroying the city”. The Syrian National Coalition said: “It has used similar deals to buy time to strengthen its positions on the ground and to kill more civilians.”

Meanwhile, Syria’s Foreign Minister said Damascus is preparing to transport “a large amount” of chemical agents in order for them to be shipped outside the country. It came after the UN Security Council called on Syria to speed up the removal of its most harmful chemical weapons agents.