855 medical staff killed in Syria since 2011: Watchdog

ANKARA

A total of 855 medical personnel have been killed since civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, according to a rights group on Friday.

A report released by Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) presents the most remarkable challenges faced by medical personnel and detainees in Syria amid the spread of the coronavirus.

Of these fatalities, the Syrian Regime forces killed 669, while Russian forces killed 68, Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization killed 40, and factions of the Armed Opposition killed 36, the report said.

It added that the YPG/PKK terror group killed eight medical personnel, the US-led coalition forces killed 13 medical personnel, and an additional 21 medical personnel were killed by other parties.

At least 3,353 detained medical personnel are awaiting their release, 3,327 of them jailed by the Syrian regime, the watchdog said.

According to the report, “perpetrator” parties in Syria conducted at least 860 attacks on medical facilities between March 2011 and May 2020, 87% of which were committed by Bashar Assad regime and Russia.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity, which later developed into bloody clashes and interventions from external forces.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN figures.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz