197 Syrian civilians killed last month: UK-based NGO

By Adham Kako

ANKARA

At least 197 civilians were killed in war-ravaged Syria in January, according to a monthly report released Friday by a London-based rights watchdog.

In its report, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that 57 children and 27 women had been among those killed during the first month of 2019.

The rights group added that 44 civilians, including 12 children and four women, were slain in attacks by the Assad regime, while Russian forces were blamed for the death of nine others.

A U.S.-led coalition, meanwhile, cobbled together in 2014 to fight the Daesh terrorist group, was responsible for the death of 37 Syrian civilians, including 15 children and 12 women, according to the report.

The SNHR went on to blame “unidentified parties” for the death of 55 civilians, while Daesh was held responsible for a further 13 civilian deaths.

According to the same report, the YPG/PKK terrorist group killed 30 civilians, including 13 children and three women, while Syria’s armed opposition and anti-regime groups were responsible for the death of nine others.

The report also states that a total of 14 people were tortured to death last month in Syria, including 11 tortured by the Assad regime, two by armed opposition groups, and one by the YPG/PKK.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.