Air blitz death toll in Syria´s Aleppo passes 400

DAMASCUS: The death toll from a 10-day Syrian regime air offensive on Aleppo rebels passed 400 Wednesday, as Pope Francis called on Christmas Day for aid access to the war-torn country.

But even as the European Union and Arab League condemned the campaign in Syria´s second city, a Russian company signed a major energy exploration deal with the Damascus government.

Aleppo has been divided into regime and rebel-held enclaves since a massive opposition offensive in the northern city in July last year.

The regime has been bombarding the rebel-held areas using TNT-packed barrels since December 15, in an offensive the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said has left 410 people dead, including 117 children, as of Tuesday night.

Also among those killed were 34 women, 30 rebel fighters and nine jihadists.The Britain-based Observatory, which uses a network of contacts inside Syria to track the conflict, said the air force pressed the assault into an 11th day on Wednesday.

It said later that mortar fire killed six people and wounded 15 in regime-controlled neighbourhoods of Aleppo, including Midan and Sulamaniyeh.Human Rights Watch has labelled as "unlawful" the relentless aerial campaign by President Bashar al-Assad´s regime, especially the use of the massively destructive barrel bombs in civilian areas.

The United States has also condemned the assault, and on Wednesday the Arab League and the European Union joined the chorus of criticism.

"The High Representative (Catherine Ashton) is deeply concerned with reports of an escalating bombing campaign," said the EU. "She condemns the unabated use of air strikes by the Syrian government on civilian areas.

"Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi called on "the Syrian army to stop the air bombings" of Aleppo, condemning the killing of "hundreds of innocent civilians".

Arabi also called on the UN Security Council "to take responsibility" to end the conflict.

The opposition National Coalition has said it will boycott a peace conference slated for January if the Aleppo bombing does not cease.