2,786 killed in Syria in April

A total of 2,786 people were killed in Syria in April, slightly lower than the figure in March when there were 2,826 casualties, a British-based war monitor revealed on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that among those killed were at least 938 civilians, including 291 children and 151 women, Efe news reported.

According to the SOHR, nearly half of the civilians were killed in the bombing by Russian and Syrian warplanes in different parts of the country.

Other causes of the death of Syrian citizens were gunfire by Islamic factions, Turkish border guards, explosions of mines and international coalition bombings, as well as attacks by the Syrian Democratic Forces fighters (SDF) an armed alliance led by Kurdish militias.

At least 449 Syrian fighters from the rebel groups and SDF were killed in April, with 833 militants among the dead, most of them foreigners from radical organisations including the Islamic State and the Turkic Islamic Army.

On the government side, at least 215 regular troops were killed, in addition to 308 Syrian rebels from other militias loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Among them were five fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and 23 militia from other nationalities.

Syria has recorded more than 321,000 deaths since the start of a civil war in March 2011.

--IANS

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