UN Special Envoy "Shock" at high rocket fire in western Aleppo, Syria

The UN Special Envoy for Syria has said he is "appalled and shocked" by the high number of rockets launched into the western part of Syria's Aleppo city in the last 48 hours.

The war in Syria has been raging for the last five years.

Since March 2011, over a quarter of a million people have been killed and over one million have been injured.

Almost five million have fled the country as refugees.
.
The eastern part of Aleppo has been at the centre of recent fighting between the government and rebels, but in the last 48 hours the focus has moved to the western part of the ancient city.

In a statement the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said attacks had been "indiscriminately launched" by armed opposition groups on civilian suburbs of western Aleppo.

He added that "credible reports indicate that scores of civilians in west Aleppo have been killed, including several children."

Hundreds have been wounded.

And he warned those people who argue that this is meant to relieve the siege of eastern Aleppo that nothing justifies the use of disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons, on civilian areas.

He said the attacks could amount to war crimes.

SOURCE: Daniel Dickinson, United Nations.