The FINANCIAL — A U.K.-based Syrian human rights watchdog says 3,055 civilians and fighters were killed in the country’s civil war during September, the highest monthly total this year.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on October 1 said 955 of the deaths were civilians, including 207 children and 148 women, according to RFE/RL.
Syria is embroiled in a six-year civil war that has killed more than 330,000 people and forced an estimated 5 million more to flee across borders to become refugees.
Russia and Iran support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States and Turkey back differing rebel groups.
The Islamic State (IS) extremist group has also entered the fighting and is opposed by all other sides.
Both Syrian government forces and U.S.-backed rebels have stepped up their attacks against IS forces as they make major strides in their separate attempts to eliminate the extremists’ presence in the country.
The Syrian Observatory monitors, documents, and reports on deaths, war crimes, and other activity in the war-torn country, using a network of sources inside Syria for its information.
In its September report, it said 395 civilians, including 92 children and 71 women, were killed in raids by Syrian and Russian warplanes and Syrian helicopters.
It added that 282 civilians, including 68 children and 45 women, were killed in air strikes by the U.S.-led international coalition.
The group reported eight deaths among Russian forces for the month but did not provide details.
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman attributed the high number of deaths in the month to the “intensified air raids of the international coalition and Russia against jihadist bastions in the north and east of Syria, but also due to increased Russian and regime strikes on rebel-held areas.”
With reporting by AFP
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