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Syria Death Toll Could Exceed 200,000: Rights Group

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented the deaths of more than 106,000 people, but warns that actual death toll could be twice as high.
Syria Death Toll Could Exceed 200,000: Rights Group

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has documented the deaths of more than 106,000 people, but warns that actual death toll could be twice as high.

 

The real death toll in the Syrian war could be more than 200,000 the pro-opposition rights group said Saturday, after providing the latest toll, which also matches that of the U.N.

 

The U.N. said in July that more than 100,000 have been killed in Syria since March 2011.

 

"We estimate that the real figure… is double the figure documented by the Observatory due to extreme secrecy that both sides in the conflict maintain [about] their casualties," said the Britain-based organization.

 

The Observatory said it had documented the deaths of 106,423 people, including 53,851 civilians.

 

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 largely as peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's rule. It escalated into a civil war after opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown on dissent.

 

The dead also included 26,853 regime soldiers and 171 militants from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group that is a key ally of the Syrian government. 

 


 

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