Syrian White Helmets rescue workers show devastation of strike on UN aid convoy

The Syrian Civil Defense responded to an inter-agency aid convoy, operated by the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, that was destroyed by an air strike in Aleppo on 19 September. The Syrian Civil Defense claim it was a regime helicopter that dropped four barrel bombs on the convoy that was filled with medicine, food and nappies for civilians. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not clear if the attack was carried out by Syria or Russia.

A convoy of Red Crescent aid trucks has been hit in an airstrike near Aleppo, as a week-long ceasefire in Syria was declared over by the countrys military.

The Red Crescent said the convoy had been making a delivery from Aleppo to rural rebel-held areas with unconfirmed reports from opposition activists the Local Co-Ordination Committees of Syria that 32 people had been killed and wounded in the attack near the town of Urm al-Kubra.

A UN spokesman said at least 18 of 31 trucks had been hit with UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, saying it was an outrage.

The convoy was the outcome of a long process of permission and preparations to assist isolated civilians, he said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said it was not clear if the jets were Syrian or Russian.

A statement posted on the Facebook page of the Local Co-Ordination Committees of Syria said: Martyrs and wounded among civilians were reported, some of them are still stuck under the rubble, in Aleppo city and its suburbs, due to bombardment and artillery shelling, just after Assads regime had declared the ceasefire expired.

The fragile truce collapsed after accusations of breaches on both sides. Four US-led airstrikes mistakenly killed around 60 Syrian soldiers although the US say they believed were Islamic State (Isis) jihadists.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence has said that a British drone was involved in an airstrike that killed dozens of Syrian troops.

The RAF Reaper aircraft was operating with aircraft from the US, Australia and Denmark near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zour on Saturday (17 September).

An MOD spokesman said: We can confirm that the UK participated in the recent coalition air strike in Syria, south of [Deir ez-Zour] on Saturday, and we are fully co-operating with the coalition investigation, an MoD spokesman said, adding: The UK would not intentionally target Syrian military units.

Russia has been backing Bashar-al-Assads Syrian Army in their war against rebels in Aleppo â€“ where 275,000 people remain trapped in the eastern part of the city without food, water, proper shelter or medical care, according to estimates.

During the truce up to 40 trucks filled with aid remained at the Turkish border waiting to be taken to the embattled city.