At least 28 massacres claiming the lives of 270 people were committed in Syria in February, a rights group has said. The victims included 98 children and 55 women.
In its monthly report on massacres committed in Syria, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the Assad regime and Russian forces were responsible for most of the killings despite the truce being in place since December 29, 2016. At least 13 massacres were committed by regime forces, 6 by the Russian forces, one by the international anti-ISIS coalition, and 8 eight by groups the Network were untraceable.
Regime forces carried out three massacres in each of the provinces of Idlib and Rural Damascus, two in each of Dara’a and Homs, and one massacre in each of Damascus, Raqqa, and Hama.
Russian forces committed five massacres in Idlib province and one in Deir Ezor, while the international anti-ISIS coalition forces committed one massacre in Raqqa, the SNHR said.
The high percentage of women and children in the total number of civisms indicates that that the attacks on civilians were deliberate, the rights group added.
At least 109 people were killed in bombardment by regime forces, 67 by Russian forces, 10 by the international anti-ISIS coalition forces, and 84 people, including 31 children and 22 women, by armed groups the SNHR said were untraceable.
The Network called on the international community to force the Assad regime to allow access for journalists, relief and human rights organizations as well as the UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate violations being committed against civilians in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
