Syria civilian death toll stands at 116,000 after 9 years of war

BEIRUT: At least 384,000 people have died in Syria, including more than 116,000 civilians, since the war began in March 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

Sparked by deadly repression of pro-democracy protests, the conflict has drawn in outside powers in a complex war involving rebel factions, militant groups and foreign interests.

As the war enters its 10th year, the government of President Bashar al Assad now controls more than 70 per cent of Syrian territory, thanks to the military support of its allies.

The conflict is the “worst manmade disaster since World War II,” the United Nations human rights chief declared in 2017.

The war has destroyed the economy and caused more than 11 million Syrians to flee their homes.

According to the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, the latest death toll includes about 22,000 children and 13,000 women.

At least 129,476 Syrian soldiers, allied forces and militiamen have died, according to the Britain-based war monitor.

Nearly 57,000 rebels have died, as well as 13,624 members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which spearheaded the Usbacked campaign against the IS group, the Observatory said.

The Observatory tallied 67,296 deaths among militants loyal to IS or to Hayat Tahrir al Sham, an alliance led by a former Al Qaeda affiliate that dominates the last rebel enclave in the Idlib region in the northwest.

The death toll included 421 unidentified victims.