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Syrian opposition urges U.S. action after Aleppo 'genocide'

The Syrian Civil War is in its third year and has seen hundreds of thousands killed and millions turned into refugees.

By Aileen Graef

ALEPPO, Syria, April 15 (UPI) -- The head of the Syrian National Coalition has asked the U.S. and other nations to take action to stop the "genocide" after bombings in Aleppo.

Ahmad Jarba, head of the Syrian National Coalition, wrote to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asking the U.S. to respond to the "genocide" in Aleppo after the Assad regime started a bombing campaign in December, dropping barrel bombs on the city.

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In the letter, Jarba claims the barrel bombs filled with shrapnel are, "indiscriminately killing and maiming scores of civilians."

He says that Syria is waiting for the West to send the appropriate and proportionate response to this violence against civilians.

The U.S. almost sent air strikes against the regime after the sarin gas attack on August 21 of last year that killed over a thousand civilians. Military intervention in Syria is not a popular idea in the U.S. after the invasion of Iraq that led to a more-than-decade-long conflict that still continues in Afghanistan. The attacks were stalled after Syria agreed with the UN to hand over their stockpile of chemical weapons for destruction. Despite the seemingly compliant actions of Bashar al-Assad, chemical attacks have been rumored to still continue and the violence has only escalated.

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The U.S. has not delivered a formal response to the letter.

[HuffPost Live]

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