DAMASCUS, Syria
At least 157 people were killed in areas held by Syrian opposition forces during the Eid al-Fitr holiday (from July 17 to 19), according to a report released Monday by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
The report said casualties had included 124 civilians and 19 fighters killed mainly by Syrian “barrel bomb” attacks, airstrikes and artillery barrages that targeted residential areas held by opposition forces.
Causalities included children (36) and women (24), according to the report, which also noted that the Daesh militant group and the Nusra Front were together responsible for killing another six civilians, also including women and children.
Syria has been gripped by violence since the regime of President Bashar al-Assad launched a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in early 2011.
The crackdown triggered a civil war in which more than 220,000 people have since been killed, according to UN figures.
