World Bulletin/News Desk

At least 15 people were killed by barrel bombs dropped by Syrian army helicopters in Aleppo, in northwestern Syria on Sunday, reports say.

The Syrian opposition’s Shahba Press Agency said that the attack took place in the evening in and around Aleppo, which is controlled by opposition forces.

Tens of people, wounded in the attacks, were taken to field hospitals, also controlled by opposition forces, the agency said.

Syria has been gripped by fighting since the regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March of 2011, triggering a conflict that has spiraled into a civil war.

The UN has stopped updating its death toll for the country because an official count has become too difficult to verify. At least 100,000 deaths were recorded in the last official count, in July 2013.