[1] Due to the large amount of explosives that can be packed into a barrel the resulting detonation can be devastating.
[5][6] According to the UK-based Syrian Network for Human Rights, since the start of the war through to December 2017, at least 68,334 barrel bombs have been used.
[7] Key: Notably, on 28 November 2014, a huge explosion occurred at the Syrian military airbase outside Hama.
[132] In late January, the Syrian air force stepped up its daily airstrikes, including hundreds of barrel bombs,[136] after poor weather conditions earlier in the month restricted its movements.
[137] In July 2017, at least 244 barrel bombs were dropped in Syria, mostly in Daraa Governorate and other de-escalation zones.