The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

12th month in a row | Regime aircraft halt aerial operations in “de-escalation zone”, and continue their airstrikes on Syrian desert

The “de-escalation zone”, stretching from the north-eastern Latakia mountains to the north-western suburbs of Aleppo city through rural Hama and Idlib, has seen a halt of aerial operations by regime jets and helicopters for 12 months, because of the new ceasefire agreed upon after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Receb Tayyip Erdogan on March 5 2020.

 

The “de-escalation zone” has not seen any aerial bombardment by regime aircraft, while SOHR activists have documented no civilian deaths by regime aircraft in the 76th month.

 

Regime jets and helicopters have completed their third month of the seventh consecutive year of their operations in Syria. Throughout these years, regime aircraft targeted Syrian cities, towns, villages and farms, executing thousands of sorties and airstrikes and dropping tens of thousands of explosive barrel-bombs. All of that caused tragic human losses and great destruction to the infrastructure and public and private buildings and properties.

 

Syrian Observatory activists have documented more than 164,400 raids by the jets and helicopter of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, between the 20th of November 2014 and the 20th of February 2021.

 

During this period, helicopters bombed Syrian territories with more than 78,505 barrel-bombs, while fighter jets carried out 85,895 raids at least.

 

This violent bombardment over the 76 months has killed thousands and injured tens of thousands, in countless massacres witnessed across Syrian territories.

 

From the 20th of October 2014 to the 20th of February 2021, Observatory activists have documented the death of 13,841 civilians, of whom 3,206 children were under the age of eighteen, 2,115 females over the age of eighteen, and 8,520 men.

 

Also, over 91,000 other civilians were injured, thousands of whom lost limbs and sustained permanent disabilities.

 

The raids and barrel bombs also killed at least 8,065 fighters affiliated to rebel and Islamic factions, Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, ISIS, the Islamic Turkestan Party and several other factions. They injured thousands of others, as well.

 

Accordingly, the number of civilians who have been killed in airstrikes by regime jets and helicopters since the beginning of the Revolution in March 2011 until the 20th of February 2021 rose to 26,403 civilian fatalities, of whom 16,652 were males, 5,967 children, and 3,784 females.

 

Although Russia is continuing to disseminate allegations and lies which assert that its jets and rockets have never killed civilians, we, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, see that the Russian Federation—a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)—Is still continuing to kill Syrians.

 

Again, the International Community continues its silence and ignores these massacres and crimes committed by Russia against the Syrian people, under the pretext of fighting “terrorism”. Unfortunately, the International Community is active only when it comes to condemnations issued through its United Nations special envoy to Syria.

 

By publishing those horrifying statistics of Syrian civilians killed in the military operations in Syria, we at SOHR seek to send a message to the international community that carries the cries and pain of the Syrian people. These shocking statistics, cries and pain may move the conscience of the international community to act for an immediate stoppage of the ongoing slaughter against the Syrian people.

 

We also renew our strong condemnation of the killing of civilians in Syria, and call on the UNSC and the UN to work harder to stop the daily atrocities committed against Syrian people who seek liberty, democracy, justice and equality, and to bring those criminals with Syrian blood on their hands to specialized international courts, so that they would face justice.