More than 1,000 people, including about 700 civilians, have been killed in clashes between new government forces and remnants of the ousted regime, according to a military observer.
Three days of clashes between militants linked to Syria's new leaders and supporters of ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad have left dozens of civilians dead, two war-monitoring groups said Saturday, saying many had been killed by government forces.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has monitored the Syrian conflict since 2011, said on Sunday morning that more than 1,000 people had been killed in the coastal provinces of Tartus and Latakia. That figure included about 700 civilians, most of whom were killed by government forces. The information could not be independently verified.
Another monitoring group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, previously reported that government security forces had killed about 125 civilians. It said the victims included men of all ages and that the forces made no distinction between civilians and combatants.
Responding to the allegations of civilian killings, Information Ministry officials said they rejected “unsubstantiated allegations of government forces committing violations.” But they also said the government would conduct a full investigation and hold accountable those who harmed civilians.
“The Syrian government reaffirms that its forces operate in accordance with strict standards that respect international humanitarian law and are committed to protecting civilians during their operations,” the ministry said in a statement.
