Syria’s Death Toll Has Surpassed 210,000, Nearly Half of Them Civilians

Syria’s death toll has risen to 210,060, nearly half of them civilians, but the real figure is most likely much higher, Reuters reports, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as of Saturday.

“The total death toll was likely to be much higher, perhaps by more than 85,000,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Observatory said that 10,664 children and 6,783 were among the dead. The rights group said 35,827 rebels and 45,585 Syrian army soldiers have been killed.

“Among the Observatory’s documented deaths were 24,989 foreign jihadist fighters, including radical Sunni rebel groups such as al-Qaida offshoot Nusra Front and Islamic State,” Reuters reports.

Over 3,000 of the total death count included fighters belonging to Shiite militias and groups in Iraq and Iran, including Hezbollah.

Syria’s conflict has left 1.5 million Syrians with a form of injury and permanent disability, according to the rights group. In December, the Observatory reported that 300,000 are being held in Syria’s jails, in addition to 20,000 people who have gone missing, and thousands of other people who have been taken hostage by ISIS and other factions inside Syria.

Some 3.73 million Syrians have fled the country and officially registered as refugees.

Exact death tolls have been difficult to verify, but the Observatory is widely cited as a source of conflict statistics. The U.N. stopped calculating the death toll in January last year.

Jordan Carries Out 56 Airstrikes in Three Days on Islamic State Targets

Jordan “has carried out 56 airstrikes in three days on Islamic State logistic sites and hideouts,” the BBC reports.

The Jordanian air force launched a new round of airstrikes against the Islamic State after a video was posted online by the Islamic State claiming to show captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.

Last week Jordan’s army vowed to avenge the killing of its pilot, calling for an “earth-shattering response” to his death.

“We achieved what we aimed at,” air force chief Gen. Mansour al-Jbour said.

Jordan, one of four Arab states in the U.S.-led coalition, has played a lead role in airstrikes against the Islamic State.

“Jordan has carried out nearly 20% of all sorties by the U.S.-led coalition against IS in Syria so far, Jbour said, adding: “We are determined to wipe them from the face of the earth.”

Jbour claims the strikes “had degraded nearly 20% of the militants’ capabilities.”

ISIS militants claim one of the strikes killed U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller, although the claim could not be verified.

“Mueller was seized while leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo in August 2013. She had a record of volunteering abroad and was moved by the plight of civilians in Syria’s civil war,” Reuters reports.

Syrian Kurdish Forces Recapture More Than One-Third of Villages Around Kobani

Syrian Kurdish forces have recaptured more than one-third of the village around Kobani from the Islamic State since ousting the militant group from the town two weeks ago, AFP reports.

“The [Kurdish] People’s Protection Units [YPG] have recaptured 128 villages out of some 350 in the past two weeks,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The YPG recaptured Kobani from ISIS on January 26, following four months of fighting backed by the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

“The defeat of Daesh in Kobani will be the beginning of the end for the group,” a statement on the YPG website said two weeks ago.

“The IS [ISIS] withdrew from villages east and south of Kobani mostly without resistance, but fought hard to try to keep control of villages to the west,” said Abdel Rahman.

“That’s because it wants to try to protect areas under its control in Aleppo province. But the Kurds are steadily advancing,” he told AFP.

Kobani has been the focus of intense U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State since September when the group seized control over nearly half of Kobani and forced tens of thousands to flee to neighboring Turkey.

In recent days, the U.S.-led coalition has continued to pound IS positions around Kobani, while YPG troops backed by Syrian rebels press the fight on the ground.

Recommended Reads:

• Reuters: Islamic State ‘Sentenced’ U.S. Hostage to Death Last Year: Activist
• AP: Syria’s Bloody Civil War Taking Back Seat to IS Horrors
• Guardian: U.S.-Led Coalition Launches 26 Airstrikes Against ISIS in Syria and Iraq
• Daily Beast: Where Syria Meets the Catwalk: Rami Ali Ali’s Inspiring Culture
• Reuters: Syria’s Kurds Celebrate After Winning Kobani, but Self-Rule Far Off
• AFP: Syria Kurds Seize Third of Villages Around Kobani
• Al Jazeera: In Jordan a Family Mourns as a Nation Erupts
• Reuters: Burning of Pilot Galvanized Anti-Islamic State Coalition: U.S. Official

Photo Courtesy of AP Images