On Thursday, the Syrian Response Coordination Team issued new statistics about the civilian death toll during the recent Syrian regime military campaign in western Syria since February.
The team said that the regime’s recent military campaign had killed 1,221 civilians, including 332 children. The number of displaced from the northern Hama and southern Idleb countryside rose to more than 131,000 families (853,000 people), which is the biggest wave of displacement seen in Syria since 2011, according to the group.
It added that, “civilians are continuing to die as a result of the systematic bombardment by regime forces and Russia, with the number rising to more than 1,291 civilians since the Sochi deal was signed in September 2018, making it imperative for the international community to revise the concept of terrorist crimes and to identify those responsible.”
The Syrian regime has stepped up its military campaign on the northern Hama and southern Idleb countrysides since April with the backing of Russian air power, under the pretext of fighting what it called “terrorist groups.” However rights and aid groups have documented strikes on civilian areas in the region which have killed civilians and displaced thousands.
The last few days have seen the regime advance militarily in the southern Idleb countryside after taking control over the strategic town of al-Habbit, which has led to new displacement from the area, with more than 32,000 people displaced over the last 24 hours and 124,000 in the period between Aug 11 – 15, 2019, according to the Response Coordination Team’s statistics.
Syrian Civil Defense statistics meanwhile indicate that 750,000 Syrians have been displaced because of attacks carried out by the Assad regime and Russia and Iran-backed groups on the Idleb and Hama countrysides since the start of the campaign on Feb. 2, 2019.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
