The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said Thursday in new report that no less than three massacres were perpetrated in August by the warring parties in Syria.
The report notes that the first two years of the popular uprising saw the largest portion of ethnic and sectarian cleansing massacres, where the Syrian regime and its militias were responsible for the majority of these massacres. In mid-2013, Syrian regime forces started relying heavily on warplanes and they were also used later by international coalition forces and Russian forces. The wide use of aerial bombardment doubled the numbers of victims and caused huge destruction to the infrastructure, as one or two new massacres at least are recorded almost every day.
This report draws upon the ongoing monitoring of news and development by SNHR team, and on accounts by survivors, eyewitnesses, and local media activists as the report contains one account that was collected by speaking directly to eyewitnesses and are not cited from any open sources, in addition to analyzing a large number of videos and pictures that were posted online or sent by local activists.
The report notes that August saw a significant drop in terms of massacres as the scope of military operations by the different parties to the conflict in Syria have diminished. On the other hand, bombings continued in most of north Syria areas, causing two massacres in August.
At least 207 massacres have been perpetrated by the parties to the conflict in Syria since the start of 2018. In addition, the report records no less than three massacres in August. The report uses the term “massacre” to refer to an incident in which five peaceful individuals or more are killed in the same attack. Based on this definition, Russian forces, Kurdish Self-Management forces, and other parties were responsible for one massacre each.
According to the victim documentation team at SNHR, the massacres documented this month have resulted in the killing of 87 civilians, including 40 children and 21 women (adult female). This means that 71% of all victims were women and children, which is a considerably high percentage, and an indication that civilian residents were targeted in most of these massacres.
The report breaks down the death toll of August’s massacres, as 36 civilians were killed by Russian forces, including 20 children and seven women, while 11 civilians, including one child and three women, were killed by the massacre perpetrated by Kurdish Self-Management forces. Lastly, 40 civilians, including 19 children and 11 women, were killed by other parties.
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