A leading global rights watchdog has accused the Syrian air force of using cluster bombs against rebels and in populated areas.
Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch, says Syria's disregard for its civilian population is all too evident in its air campaign, which now apparently includes dropping deadly cluster bombs into populated areas.
He called on Damascus to "immediately stop" the use of the deadly munitions.
A cluster bomb can carry up to 650 submunitions, which are sprayed over a large area and designed to detonate on impact.
But between 5 and 40 percent of them fail to explode and turn into antipersonnel mines that can prove deadly for civilian populations.
Syria has not ratified a convention banning cluster bombs that has been adopted by 109 countries since 2008.
Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch, says Syria's disregard for its civilian population is all too evident in its air campaign, which now apparently includes dropping deadly cluster bombs into populated areas.
He called on Damascus to "immediately stop" the use of the deadly munitions.
A cluster bomb can carry up to 650 submunitions, which are sprayed over a large area and designed to detonate on impact.
But between 5 and 40 percent of them fail to explode and turn into antipersonnel mines that can prove deadly for civilian populations.
Syria has not ratified a convention banning cluster bombs that has been adopted by 109 countries since 2008.