115,000 killed in Syrian conflict till now: activists

London, Oct 2 (IANS/AKI) More than 115,000 people have lost their lives in the 30-month conflict between rebels and the forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, according to activists.

Of this total, 6,000 victims are children, and 4,000 women, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday.

Besides civilians, tens of thousands of soldiers and rebel fighters have been killed in the conflict which began in March 2011 and has escalated into a gruesome civil war, the watchdog noted.

In the month of September alone, 5,000 people died in the fighting, it said.

Mass killings have not ceased with the Russian-US deal to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons arsenal after the Aug 21 poison gas attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians, it added.

A total of 47,000 soldiers and pro-Assad militiamen have been killed in the fighting and around 23,000 rebels, including deserters from the Syrian army, according to the watchdog.

Of the 41,000 civilians who have been killed, 3,000 have never been identified, said the Observatory, which relies for its information on a network of activists and doctors inside Syria.

--IANS/AKI

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