9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

It is now one year that Russia had launched its air campaign in Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In this one year, Russian airstrikes on areas outside government control in Syria have killed more than 9,000 people, displaced tens of thousands and caused wide destruction.
These figures are made available by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) which is an opposition monitoring group.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 30 September 2016.

Russia had begun an air campaign backing the ground forces of President Bashar Assad. It helped him to turn the balance of power in his favor in many areas. These included the northern province of Aleppo and the suburbs of the capital Damascus. Opposition activists have held Russia responsible for most of the recent airstrikes against rebel-held neighborhoods of east Aleppo city that killed more than 320 civilians in the past two weeks and demolished many buildings.
As revealed by The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that keeps track of Syria's civil war, the Russian airstrikes have killed 9,364 people in the war-torn country. These include 3,804 civilians (906 of them were children). The dead also include 2,746 members of the Islamic State group and 2,814 from other rebel and militant groups, including Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.


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At least 100 killed in airstrikes in Syria before ceasefire begins

Before ceasefire can take effect in Syria, airstrikes in Aleppo and Idlib killed nearly 100 persons - in Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR has revealed that 58 people were killed in a series of bombings, including one on a vegetable market and there are at least 13 children among the dead. The market was full of shoppers who were buying presents for their kids and they were all civilians.
This is reported in news.sky.com dated 11 September 2016.

Another at least 30 people died when barrel bombs were dropped in Aleppo from army helicopters in the east and further civilian deaths were reported from other parts of the city. Obviously, both sides seem to be trying to maximize gains before the cessation of hostilities begins at sundown on Monday - this is the start of the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday.
The Syrian government has indicated to Moscow that it is prepared to comply with the deal. Opposition forces have also said they will fulfill the peace plan's requirements if the government demonstrates it is serious about ending the bloodshed. However, Syria's moderate Free Syrian Army is of the opinion that the chance of the deal's success is slim. The argument is that Damascus and Moscow had not observed the last agreement and were unlikely to observe this one.


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Bomb blasts kill 20 in Sayyida Zeinab mosque of Damascus

20 people were killed in two bombs blasts outside the Sayyida Zeinab mosque in Damascus. This is the holiest Shiite shrine in Syria. The first blast was by a suicide attacker who was wearing an explosives belt and took place at the entrance of Ziabiyeh district. The second one was the result of a suicide attacker in a car rigged with explosives in al-Teen street.
The attacks came as Sunni and Shia Muslims are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 11 June 2016.

ISIS have subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Syria's Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi has blamed Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, for being behind the 'brutal massacres'. As per information with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a British-based monitoring group, the death toll was 12 with 30 wounded.
The holy shrine is located six miles south of the center of Damascus and is heavily guarded by Assad regime forces. In spite of that, it has been the target of several attacks by ISIS and their acolytes. The last attack on Sayyida Zeinab was on April 25 in which at least seven were killed and dozens wounded. Earlier, in January, there was another attack claimed by ISIS in which 70 people died.


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ISIS is getting cornered in their stronghold in Raqqa province because the Russian-backed Syrian army has crossed the border into the heartland of ISIS. There are indications that they have promised to team up with US-backed rebel forces who share a common hatred of Daesh.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 5 June 2016.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that ISIS was retreating as a result of Russian air strikes but this has not been confirmed either by Moscow or by the Assad regime in Damascus. It seems the Assad regime has agreed to join up with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is a rebel group dominated by the Kurdish Popular Protection (YPG) militia and that the SDF have 30,000 fighters coming down from Kobani in the north.
In comparison, ISIS has around 5,000 fighters in Raqqa province and the city of Raqqa has been its de facto capital since it was taken in 2014. Now, the Syrian troops plan to take over the Tabqa air base, 30 miles west of the city of Raqqa - that way, they would get an airbase for Russian fighter jets. The short-term objective of the operation is to take over Tabqa and nearby Lake Assad.


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ISIS are still believed to be holding 30 cement factory workers captive as they continue to question the hostages over their religion and summarily execute those who 'wrongly' answer the questions. It may be recalled that the terrorist group had abducted 300 members of staff from Al-Badia Cement Company in Dumeir, near Damascus in Syria, when they carried out a surprise attack on government forces.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 10 April 2016.

It seems the people, all of whom were guards, are still being help by the group, who are killing those from a minority Druze sect and asked others if they were Muslims. AS reported by SANA, 'employees and executives of the Al-Badia cement factory' were abducted by the jihadists after local residents reported that at least 250 workers at the plant had been missing since Monday. Further, the company had informed the industry ministry that it was unable to make contact with the kidnapped individuals.
The cement plant is located about 45-Km northeast of Damascus.
Mass abductions in Syria is not new and there have been earlier such instances in Syria during the country's devastating civil war which is now in its sixth year - the kidnappings were most often of religious minorities such as Christians.


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Mass grave with 40 bodies discovered in Palmyra - 23 of them were women and children

Syrian forces have retaken Palmyra, located 155 miles east of Damascus, from the ISIS who had occupied it over 10 months earlier and Syrian engineering teams and popular defense groups have discovered a mass grave of 40 people in a neighborhood in the newly recaptured ancient city of Palmyra.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 3 April 2016.

The mass grave contains remains of about 40 people, 23 of them women and children - some of the bodies were beheaded and bore signs of torture. SANA news agency have indicated that they were killed by Islamic State militants. After tasking over the town, Syrian army experts have detonated hundreds of mines that were planted by the Islamic State before they were forced out of Palmyra.
Palmyra is a UNESCO Heritage site and an archaeological gem that had attracted tens of thousands of tourists every year before the Islamic State captured the city and destroyed most of its Christian artifacts. Some parts of the site, including the Roman-era grand colonnades and amphitheater appear to have been spared but the damage every else was very much visible.
Syrian officers have dismantled more than 3,000 mines so far and have also reported that there are booby traps everywhere - trees, doors, and even animals. Russian sappers have arrived in Syria to help the Syrian army clear mines in and around the town.


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IS carries out deadly bombings in Damascus - leaves more than 76 dead

#damascus #ISIS #suicidebomber #SayyidahZaynab The IS terror group carried out three deadly bombings that rocked a Shiite district south of the capital Damascus, killed over 76 people and have taken responsibility for the same. The triple bombings rocked the Sayyidah Zaynab district which was being guarded by the Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group - it is located in the southern countryside of Damascus.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 1 February 2016.

The first of the explosions was in a booby-trapped car and it targeted a passenger bus on the al-Sudan street in that area. Following this bombing, two suicide bombers detonated their explosives-laden belts in the crowed that gathered at the blast site. The death toll is given as 76 but,it could rise because many wounded people were critical. As indicated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitor, a total of 25 Shiite fighters were among those killed.
Incidentally, the Sayyidah Zaynab tomb had become a center of religious studies of the adherents of the Shiite sect of Islam and a destination of mass pilgrimage by Shiite Muslims from across the Muslim world. In view of the religious significance of the district, Hezbollah had dispatched fighters to protect the shrine and man the checkpoints surrounding it.


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Residents of a besieged Syrian town of Madaya, situated just 15 miles from Damascus, and less than seven miles from the border with Lebanon, have no other go but to eat cats and dogs and grass to survive even as thousands of people face starving to death. The city of Madaya was, once upon a time, a popular holiday resort for Syrians. It is now under siege by forces who are loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 7 January 2016.

Thousands of people who are trapped have no food, water or electricity. Rice is sold in grammes because one kilogramme can cost up to £170 which they cannot afford. It has been confirmed by an unnamed aid worker that some residents were eating cats and dogs to survive, while others ate leaves and grass and drank water flavored with jam or spices.
Dr Mohamad Youssef, who acts as the manager of the medical council in Madaya, has informed that every day, there are two or three starvation deaths. Such deaths are mostly the elderly, the women and children.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hopes that it can get aid to all three villages in the next few days. It may be recalled that in mid-October, more than 20 lorries were allowed to deliver medical and humanitarian supplies but, since then, the situation has worsened.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has revealed that 10 people had died because of lack of food in recent weeks while 13 others had been shot by pro-government forces or blown up by mines while trying to find food. In the opinion of the UN, the apparent use of siege warfare has been used in clear breach of international laws.

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It was an intentional attack carried out by Syrian war planes on its people in rebel held Douma near Damascus that has killed at least 82 people and have left more than 200 wounded at a busy market outside the Syrian capital.
The bombs were allegedly dropped by government war planes and the attack was during rush hour because Sunday was the beginning of the working week in Syria.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 August 2015.

The attack was one of the deadliest since the civil war erupted nearly five years ago and, a war that has killed more than 250,000 and injured at least one million. In the opinion of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the incident was "an official massacre that was carried out deliberately". The war planes had fired a first missile and then came back to fire more missiles minutes later against those who had come to help victims after the first attack.
The official version of the Syrian military was that air force strikes on Douma and nearby Harasta had targeted the headquarters of the rebel group Islam Army.
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UN Secretary General wants action to be taken on sieges in Syria and use of barrel bombs

#barrelbombs #syria #assad #UNSC #ghouta #damascus With no end in sight to the hostilities and civil unrest in Syria that has been going on since 2011 and with death toll over 210,000, the US Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the apparent business-as-usual approach to Syria. He has called for urgent action to lift sieges on civilians and to end barrel bomb attacks. This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 20 February 2015.
In a report to the Security Council, he has listed five priorities for action to normalize the situation and give relief to the people. These include the lifting of sieges on 212,000 people, ensuring access to medical aid to all of Syria and rebuilding the education system. Moreover, he wants the 15-member council to address barrel-bomb attacks on civilians and put an end to the practice of denying services as a weapon of war.
His report was the 12th to the council, which is believed to be deeply divided over the war that has left more than 210,000 dead and has displaced 12 million Syrians.
Incidentally, Russia which is an ally of President Bashar al-Assad has blocked moves to punish the regime for the worsening violence. As per reports with Ban Ki-moon, there has been a significant escalation of violence and attacks by government forces during January in Damascus, rural Damascus and in eastern Ghouta. It seems in the eastern Ghouta region, Assad's forces had carried out aerial bombardments with barrel bombs, and had shelled the area apart from launching surface-to-surface missiles.

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