Syrian army missile kills 23, including 8 children

BEIRUT — Syrian activists say a surface-to-surface missile fired by the military has slammed into an impoverished residential area in a rebel-held town in the north, killing 23 people, including eight children.

A local activist who uses the name Abu al-Hassan said on Tuesday that the attack on the town of Marea took place overnight, while people were sleeping in their homes. He says that among the 23 killed was a family of 10 people, including eight children.

Al-Hassan says he wasn’t aware of any fighting taking place in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack on Marea.

Rights groups and local activists say Syrian military forces often indiscriminately strike rebel-held areas with projectiles that can’t be targeted properly, overwhelmingly killing civilians.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.