Violence rages as envoy says Syria toll 'staggering'

DAMASCUS, Sept 5, 2012 (AFP) - Syrian troops backed by artillery and warplanes fought rebels on multiple fronts Wednesday as peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi described the death toll as “staggering” and destruction “catastrophic.”In the diplomatic arena, President Bashar al-Assad came under renewed fire from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Syria had become a “terrorist state”, and from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who told him to go.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighter jets bombed rebel zones in the northern city of Aleppo before dawn while ground troops simultaneously unleashed a barrage of shells.

After the bombardment, the bodies of at least 19 people were found, among them seven children, the Britain-based watchdog said.

Syrian fighters with the Free Syria Army (FSA) take position during clashes with government forces in the old city of Aleppo (AFP)