Air raids on Syria's Aleppo 'killed almost 2000 in 2014'

Barrel bombings and other Syrian government air raids on rebel districts of Aleppo and surrounding areas have killed 1,963 civilians since January, including 567 children, a monitoring group said Friday.
A total of 283 women were also among those confirmed killed in the air strikes, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground for its reports.
The Britain-based monitoring group said the victims it documented were killed between January 1 and Thursday night in rebel-held areas of the northern city and the surrounding countryside.
Control of Aleppo, Syria's former commercial hub, has been divided since a rebel offensive in 2012.
Government aircraft launched a bombing campaign against rebel-held districts in the east in mid-December, frequently dropping shrapnel-packed barrel bombs. 
The use of the munitions -- which are unguided and cannot be directed against military targets -- has been condemned by the international community and human rights groups.