Over 5,000 civilians killed in Syria in 2017, watchdog declares

More than 5,000 civilians were killed in civil war-torn Syria in the first six months of 2017, according to a London-based NGO.

According to a new report released by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on Saturday, at least 5,381 civilians, including 1,059 children and 742 women, have been killed in attacks by regime forces, allied terrorist groups, and Russia as well as U.S.-led coalition forces, Daesh, and the terrorist PKK/PYD since the beginning of this year.

The report suggested that the Syrian regime and its supporters were responsible for the death of 2,072 civilians, including 318 children and 245 women.

It added that some 857 civilians were killed in attacks carried out by the Daesh terrorist group, while 1,008 others lost their lives in attacks by the U.S.-led international coalition.

The report also said that 641 civilians were killed in attacks by Russian forces.

According to the NGO, 522 civilians were also killed by unknown parties.

The SNHR also documented that at least five civilians were tortured to death and 153 others, including 31 children and 25 women, were killed by the terrorist PKK/PYD group.

ASTANA TALKS TO RESUME
The Kazakh capital Astana will host the fifth round of talks to resolve the situation in Syria with the participation of the Assad regime and armed opposition on July 4-5.

During the previous meeting in Astana on May 4, the guarantor countries -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran -- signed a deal to establish de-escalation zones in Syria.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.