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Syrians Dig Out After Deadly Attack on Rebel Stronghold

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People walk on rubble as others try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.
People walk on rubble as others try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.Mohammed Badra—Reuters
By TIME Staff

At least 15 people were killed in airstrikes Monday on the rebel stronghold of Douma, a suburb of Damascus, according to a monitoring group.

Douma, a bastion for rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad, has recently been rocked by government bombardments as Damascus increasingly resorts to airstrikes. On Friday, at least 82 people—including eighteen children—were killed in air force strikes on Douma after rebels fired rockets into the center of the capital, killing 10 people.

After those attacks, Syria’s state news agency SANA said the army had “eliminated scores of terrorists,” Reuters reported.

The death toll from the strikes on Monday was likely to rise because of the number of serious injuries, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria.

The United Nations says that at least 200,000 thousand people have been killed and nearly 4 million people have fled the country since fighting began in 2011.

People walk on rubble as others try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.
People walk on rubble as others try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.Mohammed Badra—Reuters
People try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb, 9, 2015.
People try to put out a fire after what activists said were airstrikes followed by shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb, 9, 2015. Mohammed Badra—Reuters
A Syrian man walks amid debris inside a heavily damaged building following reported air strikes by regime forces in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, on Feb. 9, 2015.
A Syrian man walks amid debris inside a heavily damaged building following reported air strikes by regime forces in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, on Feb. 9, 2015. Abd Doumany—AFP/Getty Images
People inspect a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.
People inspect a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015. Bassam Khabieh—Reuters
A Syrian girl holds the leg of her injured father as they wait for treatment at a clinic in in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, following reported air strikes by regime forces on Feb. 9, 2015.
A Syrian girl holds the leg of her injured father as they wait for treatment at a clinic in in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, following reported air strikes by regime forces on Feb. 9, 2015. Abd Doumany—AFP/Getty Images
An injured civilian sits inside a shelter as he waits to receive medical assistance after what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.
An injured civilian sits inside a shelter as he waits to receive medical assistance after what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Feb. 9, 2015.Mohammed Badra—Reuters

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