Observatory: Syria Death Toll Hits 11,000 Since HTS Takeover

By Staff, Agencies

A Britain-based war monitor group says nearly 11,000 civilians, including more than 1,000 women and children's lives, have been claimed in Syria ever since militant factions, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham [HTS], seized power in December.

“During this period, multiple patterns of violations were monitored, including extrajudicial killings, field executions, kidnappings, torture, and random targeting of civilians, alongside armed attacks and repeated bombings in different areas of the country,” the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report on Wednesday.

It noted that constant attacks, including bombardment by Turkish and "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF], have led to “increased suffering of civilian populations, especially women and children.”

According to the monitor, there were 10,955 recorded life losses throughout the country during the reporting period, which included 8,422 civilians, of whom 463 were children and 636 were women, in addition to 3,054 cases of field executions. Since the new authorities took over, Syria has seen waves of sectarian and regional violence.

Violence targeting Syria’s Alawite community persists in the aftermath of a brutal campaign executed by HTS forces in March.The Observatory estimated around 2,000 life losses during the clashes in the southwestern province of Suwayda.

HTS militants also clashed with Kurdish-led militants of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF] in northern Syria until they reached a ceasefire on Tuesday.

“The Observatory demands the prosecution of all perpetrators of crimes and violations, without exception, regardless of the party or group to which they belong, to ensure justice is served and those responsible for the violations that have claimed the lives of thousands of civilians over the past years are held accountable,” it said.

Syria’s new authorities have come under repeated criticism for failing to protect the minorities in the country.

Since the collapse of Assad’s government, the IOF has also been launching airstrikes against military installations, facilities, and arsenals belonging to Syria’s now-defunct army.

"Israel" has been widely condemned for the termination of the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, and for exploiting the chaos in the Arab nation in the wake of Assad’s downfall to make a land grab.