Videos posted on social media on Wednesday purported to show the aftermath of barrel bomb explosions in Tal Rifaat, in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.<br /><br /> According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 37 people – including 10 children – were killed when government forces dropped barrels filled with explosives in three northern areas where rebels have been gaining ground.<br /><br /> The Syrian regime has repeatedly denied using such weapons, which rights groups say are indiscriminate and kill a disproportionate number of civilians.<br /><br /> The deadly bombings come as rebels are locked in fighting with Islamic State militants in the region.<br /><br /> Government troops helped by militias have also been battling ISIL advances into the city of Hasaka, in the northeast.<br /><br /> The Syrian civil war has killed more than 220,000 people over the past four years.
