Six years of war in Syria kills over 320,000

Syria’s war has killed just over 320,000 people since it erupted six years ago, a monitor says Monday, noting that a fragile ceasefire has helped to slow the rising death toll.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it had recorded the deaths of 321,358 people since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

The toll represents an increase of about 9,000 since December, when government ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey brokered a nationwide cessation of hostilities.

The new toll includes more than 96,000 civilians, among them over 17,400 children and nearly 11,000 women.

The Observatory says just over 60,900 government soldiers were killed, as well as 45,000 Syrian militiamen and over 8,000 foreign fighters loyal to Assad’s government.

— AFP