More than 55,000, Including 2,500 Children Killed in Syria in 2015 – Israel News

“Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.” (Numbers 35:18)

More than 55,000 people were killed in Syria in 2015, including at least 2,500 children, the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. This number brings the overall death toll in the five-year conflict to 260,000. The actual death toll for the past year was 55,219, including 20,977 civilians.

The terror groups ISIS, al-Nusra Front and their affiliates sustained 16,212 casualties; Syrian rebel groups took 7,798 casualties. However, the Syrian Observatory noted that the actual figure might be a lot higher, since these groups do not report their losses.

Forces fighting on the side of the Syrian regime also suffered heavy casualties: 8,819 soldiers and officers were killed in 2015, and more than 7,000 Hezbollah and Iranian militia fighters met their maker.

The monitoring agency notes, however, that 2015 saw fewer deaths than 2014, when 76,021 were killed in Syria.

“We in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights consider the silence of the international community for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria encourages the criminals to kill more and more Syrian people,” the UK-based agency said in its report Thursday.

Naturally, with the UN passing 20 anti-Israel resolutions last month, there was precious little time left for the Syrian concern. But the Security Council did approve on December 18 a resolution to find a political solution in Syria as soon as possible, and even gave up the debate over whether this should take place with or without Syrian President Bashar al-Assad still in power.

The Security Council called for a political process to establish “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance,” within six months and for free and fair elections to be held within 18 months.