US says Russian bombing on Syria’s Aleppo is an act of barbarism

The US ambassador to the UN has accused Russia of “barbarism” over the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Samantha Power said Russia had told the council outright lies about its conduct in Syria.

She said Russia and the Syrian regime were “laying waste to what is left of an iconic Middle Eastern city”.

Russia said Syrian forces were trying to remove terrorists from Aleppo while harming as few citizens as possible.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin did not say Russian forces were involved.

But he said that bringing peace to Syria was “almost an impossible task now.” He also accused opposition armed groups of sabotaging the ceasefire.

The northern city of Aleppo has become a key battleground in Syria’s bloody five-year civil war.

Save the Children said on Sunday that humanitarian workers on the ground reported that approximately half of the casualties pulled from the rubble were children.

One hospital told the charity that 43% of the injured they treated on Saturday were children, and a Syrian ambulance crew said more than 50% they picked up in the past 48 hours were children.