ISIS fighters parade in Raqqa, Syria
ISIS fighters parade in Raqqa, SyriaReuters

The United States expressed its “horror” at the bombardment of the city of Raqqa in Syria by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Raqqa is one of the main strongholds of Islamist rebels in Syria, and the Syrian army has been pounding it heavily for days. Dozens of civilians have been killed in the bombardment.

In a statement released Thursday, the State Department condemned Assad's "ongoing human rights abuses and violations of international law.” The Syrian government's “continued slaughter of Syrian civilians further exposes its callous disregard for human life."

Reports said that at least 95 people were killed Tuesday as Syrian warplanes struck civilian neighborhoods in the city.

Video posted on social media shows that Syrian planes attacked a market, appearing to be aiming for maximum damage to the civilian population.

According to a new UN report, the three year civil war in Syria has had a devastating effect on the country. Syria’s economy has contracted some 40 percent since 2011, and unemployment now exceeds 54 percent. Three quarters of the population live in poverty, and school attendance has dropped by more than 50 percent.

“Violence has forced nearly half of Syrians from their homes, many of them multiple times. There are now some 7.6 million people displaced inside Syria. In addition, more than 3.2 million people have fled the country, with countries in the region and communities hosting refugees bearing an enormous burden. This is the largest number of people displaced from conflict in the world,” the report added.