Syria’s War Killed Over 3,700 in 2021

A displaced person living in a cave in an archaeological area in Idlib, northwest Syria (Reuters)
A displaced person living in a cave in an archaeological area in Idlib, northwest Syria (Reuters)
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Syria’s War Killed Over 3,700 in 2021

A displaced person living in a cave in an archaeological area in Idlib, northwest Syria (Reuters)
A displaced person living in a cave in an archaeological area in Idlib, northwest Syria (Reuters)

The Syrian war killed 3,746 people in 2021, a monitor said Wednesday, significantly fewer than in 2020, which had already seen the decade-old war's lowest death toll.

According to figures compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1,505 of them were civilians and among those 360 were children.

Land mines and explosive objects constitute an issue in the war, as the Landmine Monitor said in November that Syria had overtaken Afghanistan as the country with the highest number of recorded casualties from landmines and other explosive remnants of the war.

The 2021 death toll shows a significant decrease compared to the year before, during which the Observatory recorded the deaths of more than 6,800 people.

The Syrian conflict in 2019 killed more than 10,000 people, while the year 2014 recorded the death of 70,000 people, the highest annual toll of the war.

According to SOHR figures, 600 members of the regime forces and more than 300 fighters from groups loyal to them have died this year.

The Observatory also recorded the deaths of about 600 ISIS terrorists and other extremist factions, compared to 158 from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and about 370 fighters of the opposition and Islamic factions.

The total death toll decreased during 2020 and 2021 due to the decline in the intensity of battles in several areas, especially in the Idlib governorate.

Although a ceasefire was announced in March 2020 in the region, it has been subjected to numerous violations.

Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has killed nearly half a million people and driven more than half of the population to flee within or outside Syria.

Meanwhile, a man succumbed to his injuries in al-Qamishly hospitals due to Turkish bombardment on Zarkan town in the northwestern countryside of al-Hasakah, bringing the death toll to four civilians, including a girl and a woman.

Furthermore, SOHR documented the death of three Turkish-backed “National Army” members after bombardment by SDF on their position near Turkish posts in “Peace Spring” areas in the Hasakah countryside.



Syria’s Sharaa Congratulates Trump, Looks Forward to Improving Relations 

A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
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Syria’s Sharaa Congratulates Trump, Looks Forward to Improving Relations 

A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.

"The past decade has brought immense suffering to Syria, with the conflict devastating our nation and destabilizing the region. We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region".

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar al-Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into civil war.

In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.

Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.