Lowest Monthly Death Toll in 9 Years of Syria War

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the refugee camp near Atimah village, Idlib province, Syria, September 11 ,2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the refugee camp near Atimah village, Idlib province, Syria, September 11 ,2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo/File Photo
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Lowest Monthly Death Toll in 9 Years of Syria War

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the refugee camp near Atimah village, Idlib province, Syria, September 11 ,2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the refugee camp near Atimah village, Idlib province, Syria, September 11 ,2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo/File Photo

The war in Syria killed 103 civilians in March, marking the lowest monthly non-combatant death toll since the start of the conflict in 2011, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday.

Of the total deaths, some 51 people were killed in shelling and air strikes by the Syrian regime, Agence France Presse quoted the Observatory as saying.

The bulk of the remaining casualties were caused either by explosive remnants or mysterious "assassinations", the Observatory added.

The civilian death toll was more than double that of March in February, when a regime offensive on Syria's last major opposition bastion was still in full swing.

According to the Observatory, the number of deaths that month stood at 275.

The war in Syria has left more than 380,000 people dead since it started nine years ago.

The highest civilian death toll recorded in a month since the start of the conflict was 1,590 in July 2016, when battles between opposition fighters and the regime raged in the northern province of Aleppo.

The United Nations has appealed for a nationwide ceasefire to tackle the novel coronavirus threat, while aid groups have warned of a health catastrophe if the pandemic hits overcrowded displacement camps or crammed regime prisons.



Türkiye's Erdogan Discusses Syria Situation with Putin by Phone, Ankara Says

 Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)
Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)
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Türkiye's Erdogan Discusses Syria Situation with Putin by Phone, Ankara Says

 Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)
Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the renewed outbreak of conflict in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone, Erdogan's office said in a post on X on Tuesday.

Erdogan and Putin spoke as Syrian opposition forces advancing against government troops pushed close on Tuesday to the major city of Hama, fighters and a war monitor said, after their sudden capture of Aleppo last week rocked President Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogan told Putin that Türkiye supports Syria's territorial integrity and strives for a just and lasting solution in Syria, the statement said.

"President Erdogan highlighted the importance of making more room for diplomacy in the region, and underscored that the Syrian regime should engage in the political solution process," it said. Erdogan also said that Syria should not become a source of greater instability.

"Erdogan stated that Türkiye will continue to maintain its determined stance on the fight against the terrorist organization PKK and its extensions who are trying to take advantage of the recent developments in Syria," the statement said.