The Syrian Network for Human Rights has published its periodic death toll report for the month of May 2017 in which it documented the killing of 964 civilians at the hands of the parties to the conflict in Syria.
The report sheds light on the de-escalation zones agreement that went into effect on May 6, 2017, after it was announced at the end of the fourth round of negotiations that was held between Russian, Turkish, and Iranian representatives, who attended as the sponsoring states of Ankara Ceasefire Agreement.
The agreement establishes four de-escalation zones that will see cessation of combat operation, and passage of humanitarian aids, while the IDPs are allowed to go back to these areas. The areas, as outlined by the agreement, are: Idlib governorate and the surrounding areas (parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia governorates), northern Homs governorate, Eastern Ghouta, and parts of Daraa and al Quneitra governorates in the southern parts of Syria, provided that an expert committee will accurately assign the borders of these areas at a later date.
The report stresses that international coalition forces have again killed more civilian that any other party, where 29% of the total number of civilian victims were killed by international coalition forces whose operation were concentrated in the eastern parts of Syria, in al Raqqa governorate in particular, under the pretext of taking down ISIS.
Furthermore, the report notes that SNHR team encounters difficulties in documenting victims from armed opposition factions as many of those victims are killed on battlefronts and not inside cities. Also, we aren’t able to obtain details such as names, pictures and other important details on account of the armed opposition forces’ unwillingness to reveal such information for security concerns among other reasons. Therefore, the actual number of victims is much greater than what is being recorded.
The report breaks down the death toll of Mat 2017 where Syrian regime forces killed 241 civilians including 29 children (one child is killed every day) and 21 women (adult female). Additionally, among the victims were 13 civilians who died due to torture.
The report notes that forces we believe are Russian killed 13 civilians including 1 child and 5 women.
Additionally, the report documented the killing of 54 civilians at the hands of the Kurdish Self-management forces including 10 children and 8 women. In addition, among the victims were two civilians who died due to torture.
The report notes that ISIS killed 268 civilians including 61 children and 47 women.
Also, the report says that armed opposition factions killed 43 civilians including 10 children and 2 women.
In addition, the report records that 273 civilians, including 89 children and 58 women, were killed by the international coalition forces in May 2017.
The report documents that 72 civilians, including 24 children and 9 women, in addition to two who died due to torture, have either died drowning as they were fleeing by sea or in bombings that SNHR hasn’t been able to identify its perpetrators, as of this writing, or by bullets or landmines that we couldn’t determine their source, or by Turkish, Jordanian, or Lebanese forces
