Assad Killed Nearly Nine Times as Many Civilians as ISIS in 2015, Says NGO

The Syrian Network for Human Rights, which has been tracking casualties and human-rights abuses in the Syrian revolution since 2011, said the regime of Bashar al-Assad killed nearly nine times as many people as ISIS in the country during 2015.

The year-end tally was 12,044 civilians killed by Assad and 1,366 killed by ISIS. This included 2,592 children and 1,957 women killed by the Syrian regime and 149 children and 188 women killed by ISIS.

Eighty-two doctors or medical assistants were killed by Assad while 10 were killed by ISIS. Fifty-seven reporters or media activists were killed by the Syrian leader and 16 were killed by ISIS.

Assad arrested 6,909 civilians, including 643 women and 452 children. ISIS seized 1,956 people including 245 children and 218 women. The SNHR maintains a database of detainees where people can search for information about their loved ones.

In mid-December, the NGO had tallied 570 civilian deaths from Russian airstrikes in Syria, including 152 children and 60 women.

The group separately documents deaths of people fighting for the Assad regime, ISIS, al-Qaeda allies, and secular rebel factions.

Raqqa Is Beings Slaughtered Silently, a separate operation reporting from inside the ISIS capital of Raqqa, said Sunday that ISIS is tightening the borders of the caliphate to prevent civilians from leaving areas under their control.

ISIS’ move to register every boy over 14 years old has especially frightened people about the group’s recruiting plans. ISIS has seized passports and restricted what personal items people can take from cities. Women aren’t allowed to go anywhere without a male relative escort.

And if someone wants to leave, ISIS keeps a list of that person’s relatives remaining in the area. If the person doesn’t return to the caliphate, the relatives are arrested.