The Syrian military has used weapons banned by international law against civilian targets over the past week, Human Rights Watch said in a report Sunday. Soldiers dropped cluster bombs over areas populated by noncombatants as they fought opposition forces to regain control of Maarat al-Numan, which sits on the vital roadway connecting the capital, Damascus, to the city of Aleppo. Human Rights Watch previously drew attention to the use of cluster bombs dropped by Syrian forces from helicopters and other aircraft in July and August.
