Nearly 8,000 Killed In Syria Within Six Months: Monitor

A new report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) details the deaths of at least 7,670 people in Syria since the fall of the previous government. This total includes over 2,130 extrajudicial executions and identity-based killings, highlighting organized violence. The report specifies that 5,784 civilians, including 306 children and 422 women, were among the victims. SOHR attributes the high death toll to ongoing violence by various groups and widespread security instability. Massacres against Alawite civilians, with 1,726 recorded liquidations in March, contributed significantly to the fatalities. Besides civilians, 1,886 non-civilian combatants, including members of the Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries and various armed factions, were killed. Over 250 members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also lost their lives. The new Syrian army is dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda branch, and other extremist factions. Alawites are still targeted, with at least 18 killed in recent attacks. Syria is emerging from isolation, with sanctions being lifted, and the EU is providing substantial reconstruction aid. Syria's President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former extremist leader, has met with international leaders.