At least 24 Syrian army troops and allied militants from the coastal province of Lattakia were killed by rebels in the first two weeks of February, according to pro-regime activists.
About 500 regime fighters were killed in fighting with the Islamic State (ISIS), rebels and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham militants in January, local monitoring groups reported.
The high death toll comes after the Assad regime, backed by Russian airpower, launched major attacks in the embattled enclave of the Eastern Ghouta near the capital Damascus, and in the northwestern provinces of Idleb, Hama and Aleppo.
Activists also reported the death of six child soldiers fighting alongside regime forces in January.
The shortage in manpower among regime forces has pushed President Bashar al-Assad to recruit children and women in loyalist areas to defend his palace in Damascus.
The underage fighters, who have little to no military experience, have become an easy target for opposition armed factions, pro-regime activists say.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
