3 children killed in blast in Syria's Aleppo

At least three children were killed and many others wounded on Friday, when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in eastern Aleppo city in northern Syria, said state news agency SANA.

The IED is from the leftovers of the rebels in Maysaloun neighborhood, which was recaptured by the Syrian army in December of last year, when the rebels withdrew from eastern Aleppo under a deal with the government.

SANA said the IED exploded in a schoolyard in the neighborhood, when children were playing in that area.

Almost all of the former rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo are in ruins, as a result of the military showdown in that part of the city.

Russian bomb squads have been sweeping the area since two months ago, succeeding to defuse hundreds of explosive materials.

The Syrian authorities in Aleppo have also cleaned much of the rubble-strewn streets in eastern Aleppo, to facilitate the return of civilians to check on their shattered homes.

After wresting control over all of Aleppo city, the Syrian army has started a broad military operation against the positions of the Islamic State (IS) group in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.

The General-Command of the Syrian army said a day earlier that the military forces have taken control over 32 villages and farms estimated at 250 square kilometers in northeastern Aleppo.

It stressed resolve to continue in its campaign against terrorism. Endit