DAMASCUS
At least 17 students were killed and 20 others were wounded when mortar shells fired allegedly by forces loyal to the Syrian regime hit a school near Damascus Wednesday, a local activist told The Anadolu Agency.
The school is located in the main town of Qaboun district in eastern Ghouta.
Mohammed At-Tawil, a local activist, said the wounded students were being treated at hospitals.
The Syrian General Revolutionary Council -- a coalition of Syrian opposition groups -- confirmed the updated death toll. Previously, it said 12 students had died in the attack.
"The regime forces have been launching dozens of attacks everyday around East Ghouta to gain control of its towns and municipality," the council added.
More than 190,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and opposition forces began early 2011, according to the UN figures published in August.
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