49 troops from Latakia province killed in October: death toll

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 49 regime troops from Latakia province were killed in October by the Islamic State in eastern Syria, pro-regime news feeds said.

The death toll included 29 officers amid rise in casualties among senior officers ranks who lead the allied militias.

Since May, the regime forces have been battling ISIS in Deir Ezzor city, making rapid gains last week after uprooting the extremist group from the oil-rich city.

25 more regime troops from the coastal city of Tartus have been killed since mid of October, activists told Zaman al-Wasl.

Also in Hama, local activists said 114 troops from the central province had been killed last October in clashes with rebels and the Islamic State in Deir Ezzor, Homs desert and the northern countryside of Hama.

The death toll included 19 officers and 40 militants from Qalamoun Shield militia.

The Alawites-dominated coastal region was, and still, the main manpower supply for Bashar al-Assad's regime.  The total death toll of regime troops exceeded 200,000 activists said.

The mourning posters have been sweeping the streets and pro-regime social media of coastal province.

Residents of Tartus, the regime's powerful militant supplier, say funerals are everywhere and everyday. Tartus suffered decades of negligence and constant resentment in comparison with the next-door city of Latakia where services and tourism and fortune.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights said 923 civilians were killed in October by the Syrian regime, ISIS, Russia and the US-led coalition.

The human rights watchdog on November 1 said  398 of the deaths were killed by the Syrian regime, including 398 children and 62 women.

It added that 221 civilians, including 68 children and 36 women, were killed in airstrikes by Russia. 162 more civilians, including 24 children and 16 women, were killed by the Islamic State (Daesh).

Also, 71 people, including 22 children and 15 women, were killed by the U.S.-led international coalition. The armed opposition killed 16 civilians, including 3 children and 4 women. The US-backed Kurdish forces killed 15 civilians, including 7 women.

Russia and Iran support the regime of Bashar al-Assad, while the United States and Turkey back differing rebel groups.

Syria is embroiled in a six-year war that has killed more than 470,000 people and forced an estimated 5 million more to flee across borders to become refugees.