At least 774 Syrian civilians were killed last month, according to a monthly report from the UK-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). Most of the deaths resulted from attacks by Russia or the Assad regime.

The SNHR report counts 550 civilians killed by Russian or regime attacks, 64 by ISIS attacks, and 24 by US-led coalition airstrikes. Intensified fighting between government and rebel forces accounts for most of the civilian casualties, particularly in the ‘de-escalation areas’ of Idlib and Eastern Ghouta, which are among the last remaining rebel strongholds in the country.

The civilian death toll has continued to rise in February. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 230 civilians are reported to have been killed in airstrikes by the Syrian Government and its forces. Elsewhere in Syria, at least 51 civilians have been reported killed in Afrin, near the Turkish border, since Turkey’s operations began on 20 January.

The UN has said that attacks in Syria, including a possible use of toxic agents in Idlib province on 4 February, may constitute war crimes. Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate de-escalation of violence, as civilians continue to suffer in the escalating war.

For more information, read:
https://www.albawaba.com/news/least-774-civilians-killed-start-year-syria-human-rights-group-1083350
http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/syria/un-240-civilians-dead-in-syria-raids-in-past-week-1.2171249
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/syrian-civilians-killed-turkey-afrin-operation-180129060647369.html
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58565#.WoF3fLly6Uk