Syrian regime kills 52 people, activists say
Five children, a woman and five activists are among the casualties, as the death toll among children exceeds 12,000 since March 2011
At least 52 people, including five children and a woman, were killed in attacks staged by the Syrian regime in several cities across the country on Sunday, opposition activists said. Syrian regime forces killed 24 in the suburbs of capital Damascus, 10 in Daraa, five in Rakka, four in Hasaka and Homs each, two in Aleppo and Deir-uz Zor each, and one in Quneitra in air and land offensives across the country, said the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) which tracks civilian and dissident casualties. The Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) released a statement indicating that Free Syrian Army troops brought the eastern Ghouta district of Damascus under control while lifting the siege by Assad forces. The SRGC stated that Free Syrian Army troops attacked Assad forces in Ghouta, destroying a tank and numerous military vehicles.
According to the statement, scores of regime forces, supported by Hezbollah and the Abu Fadel Al Abbas Brigade, were reportedly killed and captured in Ghouta district.
Furthermore, five activists who were monitoring the clashes in the district were killed by regime forces.
Meanwhile, the SNHR said the death toll among children had exceeded 12,000 since clashes broke out in Syria in March, 2011.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in almost three years of conflict in Syria and over two million Syrians are now registered as refugees in neighboring countries, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, according to the UN.
The Microfinance Program Director at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Alex Pollock, said last week that the total cost of the Syrian crisis had reached $103.1 billion by the first half of 2013.