MESOP “PUTIN & THE BODY COUNT”: Before Aleppo Fell — 1,753 Civilians Killed in 10 Weeks

WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA) –  January 02 – 2017 – More than 1,750 civilans were killed in the 10 weeks before the fall of opposition-held areas of Syria’s largest city Aleppo to the Assad regime in mid-December, according to Syria human rights activists.

The Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies, which documents casualties, recorded the victims between October 1 and December 14, just before removals of civilians and rebels began from east Aleppo. Among the dead were 243 children and 120 women.

The NGO said 1,252 civilians — about 2/3 of the total — were slain by Russian airstrikes. Another 419 were killed by regime air and ground attacks, and 82 were executed as pro-Assad forces advanced in east Aleppo in the last days of their offensive.

The Center further claimed that only 2% of those killed in the Russian-regime attacks were rebels.

In a previous study, the Center recorded the killing of 6,937 people in Aleppo Province from January 1 to Novembeer 30. Of the total, 4,927 (71%) were civilians.

The report concludes:

The DCHRS advocates for the protection of Syrian civilians. As a member of the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP), the DCHRS calls upon the international community to fulfill its Responsibility to Protect with regard to Syria. DCHRS also appeals to medical and humanitarian organizations to provide relief to ease the suffering of the Syrian people inside Syria and abroad. www.mesop.de