Naharnet

3,800 Civilians Dead in Year of Russian Strikes in Syria

Around 3,800 civilians have been killed in one year of Russian air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad, a monitoring group said Friday.

They are among more than 9,300 people who have died in the raids since September 30, 2015, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The toll also includes more than 5,500 fighters from the Islamic State jihadist group and various rebel factions, the British-based monitor said.

At least 20,000 civilians were wounded in the Russian raids, it said.

The Observatory -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the death toll from Russia strikes could be even higher given the number of people killed by unidentified warplanes.

Source: Agence France Presse


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