Aleppo University soldiers on after mystery blasts

The twin explosions two weeks ago that killed more than 80 people and wounded 150 also left Aleppo student Laila determined to return to the university as exams and normal class schedules resumed last Tuesday for the first time since the blasts, write Patrick J McDonnell and Lava Selo for Los Angeles Times.

"If we don't continue attending classes, we will become a backward country," said Laila (22), who used her Red Crescent training to aid victims at the chaotic scene. The blasts, apparently caused by a pair of missiles, were among the deadliest and most stunning of Syria's almost two-year civil conflict, spurring global revulsion at a frontal assault against one of the nation's leading educational institutions.

The targeting of the university stood out as an appalling act even amid a withering conflict that has seen an ever-escalating death toll, now more than 60,000, according to the United Nations. The perpetrators remain unknown. No one has claimed responsibility.
Full report on the Los Angeles Times site