727 individuals killed, injured in Syria in December 2023
Introduction
Casualties of violations in Syria increased by 33 percent in December 2023, and hostilities among parties to the conflict soared by 25 percent. This percentage is based on analysis of data recorded by the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press in December compared to November 2023.
Also, casualties of war remnants increased by 83 percent compared to November, the activity of the Islamic State group (ISIS) increased by 50 percent, and the rate of arrest climbed by 42 percent.
The monthly report notes to the most significant human rights violations documented in December by the department based on information obtained by a network of field sources across Syria.
The report includes a toll of human rights violations including killings and arbitrary arrests by parties to the conflict, as well as, statistics of individuals who lost their lives due to war remnants explosions that were deliberately planted by certain parties in the areas under their control that subsequently cause monthly dozens civilian casualties during 2023.
It also shows the indiscriminate shelling carried out by the controlling forces according to their areas of control, its repercussions on civilians, and public properties.
The report provides data related to Turkey’s resumption of attacks against infrastructure and civilian facilities in Northeast Syria, as well as, other issues that affect the rights of Syrian people, leading to their insecurity and instability.
Victims
During December, the department recorded the killing and injury of 727 individuals, both civilians and military personnel, of which 286 were killed and 441 were injured either by direct attacks and indiscriminate shelling, or by torture, abuse, or other forms of inhumane treatment.
All civilians were extrajudicially killed either by parties to the conflict or by unidentified gunmen amidst security chaos, the presence of multiple controlling powers, and the ease of impunity due to the absence of accountability.
The civilian casualties numbered 419, 111 of them were killed including 20 children, 14 women, and 77 men, two of them were non-Syrian nationality, and 308 civilians were injured including 76 children, 48 women and 184 men.
The civilian casualties across Syria were as follows: Idlib Governorate recorded the highest number at 139, followed by Aleppo with 56, Aleppo northern countryside, aka Shahba Region, with 53, Deir ez-Zor with 51, Qamishli with 36, Manbij with 19, Raqqa 18, Hasakah 12, Daraa 11, Tel Abyad five, and four each in Damascus, Suwayda and Homs, three in Hama, and two each in Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Kobani.
As for military casualties, the total number amounted to 308, with 175 killed and 133 injured. The casualties are distributed among the four controlling powers in Syria.
53 soldiers of the Syrian government forces were killed including two militants of the pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF), while 34 others were wounded.
As for Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), 34 were killed and 28 others were injured.
13 fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed, and 16 others were wounded.
Moreover, 12 militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) were killed and seven others were wounded.
45 militants of Iranian-backed militias were killed and 41 others were injured. Nine militants of Hezbollah were killed, and three others were wounded.
Eight Turkish military personnel were killed and four others were wounded. Additionally, an armed individual of local armed groups in Daraa was killed.
The toll of the war remnant’s victims mounted by 83 percent compared to the previous month, recording the killing and wounding of 97 individuals. The toll was as follows: seven children were killed and 12 others were injured, six men were killed and eight others were injured, and three women were killed and 17 others were wounded, as well as, 11 military personnel were killed, and 33 others were injured.
In December, bombardment by parties to the conflict hiked up by 25 percent compared to November 2023.
During December, Turkey resumed its airstrikes on Northeast Syria, utilizing drones, warplanes, and artillery. The airstrikes resulted in civilian casualties and inflicted damage on infrastructure and small civilian projects.
The strikes resulted in 50 casualties, with 12 deaths and 49 injuries in the areas held by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
177 sites in the AANES-held areas were subjected to 334 strikes, 145 of which were specifically targeted by Turkey. Additionally, six sites within the same area were targeted by unknown actors, whose source remains unconfirmed, and no party has claimed responsibility for these attacks. Furthermore, six sites were targeted with six strikes by Turkish-backed SNA factions.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, targeted nine U.S. bases with nine strikes, and two bases of the Global Coalition with 12 strikes. While the Iranian-backed militias targeted four bases of the Global Coalition with nine strikes and three civilian sites with three strikes. Furthermore, unknown actors targeted one site of the Global Coalition with ten strikes, and a civilian site was targeted with five strikes.
In the government-held areas the shelling and airstrikes resulted in 131 casualties, including 62 killings and 69 injuries.
A total of 37 sites were targeted with 105 strikes in areas held by the government forces. Israel conducted 5 strikes on 5 sites of the government forces, four strikes on three sites of the Lebanese Hezbollah, and three strikes on three sites of the Iranian-backed militias.
The HTS targeted 10 government forces’ sites with 73 strikes. Unknown actors targeted three Iranian militias’ sites with three strikes. Turkey targeted one site with five strikes. Jordanian forces targeted five government forces’ sites with five strikes. The Global Coalition targeted two Iranian militia’s sites with two strikes, and the U.S. forces targeted five Iranian militias’ sites with five strikes.
In the HTS-held areas in northwest Syria, 86 sites were subjected to 120 strikes. The government forces targeted 83 sites with 117 strikes, and Russia hit three sites with three strikes.
These strikes resulted in 126 casualties, as 36 individuals were killed and 90 others were wounded.
As for areas under the control of the SNA, nine sites were shelled with nine strikes. The government forces targeted one site. The SDF targeted six sites and two Turkish bases. These strikes led to the injury of four individuals.
Arrests
The toll of arrests in Syria increased by 42 percent in December compared to November. The department reported the arrest of 468 individuals in Syria by various conflicting parties.
The highest percentage of arrests was carried out by the HTS by 43 percent, as it detained 203 individuals including 64 military personnel and 139 civilians 16 of them were women and one activist.
The civilian arrestees were accused of collaborating with the government forces. While the military personnel were accused of collaborating and leaking information to international intelligence parties. Also, all the arrestees were accused of supporting the dissident leader Abu Ahmad Zakour. As for the activist, he was accused of discomforting the HTS and inciting the public opinion against it.
The SNA arrested 99 individuals including four military personnel and 95 civilians, eight of them were women, five children, and four activists. Many charges were brought against them including dealing with the former Autonomous Administration in Afrin in northwest Syria and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in the northeast, targeting a joint military post for the Turkish forces and the Military Police, and refusing to pay royalties. The activists were arrested during protests against judicial corruption in the town of al-Rai in the north of Aleppo.
The SNA’s Samarkand Brigade arrested four military personnel of the Military Police, a faction affiliated with the Turkish intelligence, due to disputes between them.
The Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) arrested 17 individuals, including three military personnel and 14 civilians. The civilians were charged with affiliation to ISIS and working for the government forces. Two former military personnel of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, a formation affiliated with the SDF, were arrested on charges of involvement with events in Deir ez-Zor in September, and one military personnel was arrested on charges of dealing with the government forces.
The Syrian government forces and the Iranian-backed militias arrested 20 civilians, mostly detained arbitrarily without an official arrest warrant. They faced various charges, including refusing to pay royalties, dealing in foreign currencies other than the Syrian pound, and criticizing the Iranian presence in Deir ez-Zor.
The Turkish forces arrested 129 individuals including 24 military personnel and 105 civilians, two of them were children and 15 were women.
Turkish border guards arrested 35 civilians including four women during their attempt to cross into Turkish territory. Turkish intelligence arrested other 94 individuals including 24 military personnel and 13 civilians, with two children and 11 women.
Charges brought by the Turkish forces against the arrestees focused on working for the SDF and collaboration with hostile parties. The Turkish forces transferred 64 of the arrestees to prisons within the Turkish territory, including 62 civilians with 10 women and one child in addition to two military personnel.
ISIS resurgence
ISIS activities in Syria have escalated by 50 percent compared to November 2023, with a total of 16 attacks, seven of which were claimed by the group.
ISIS carried out seven attacks against the SDF, four against the Syrian government forces, three against the Iranian-backed militias, and two against civilians.
The attacks were recorded as follows: nine in Deir ez-Zor, three each in Raqqa and Homs, and one in Manbij.
The number of casualties as a result of ISIS attacks in December 2023 amounts to 75 people, with 42 killed and 33 injured, through direct targeting, and planting of IEDs and mines.
The attacks resulted in 57 casualties, with 27 military personnel and eight civilian men killed, and 12 military personnel and 10 civilian men injured. As for victims of IEDs, seven military personnel were killed and 10 others were injured, in addition to the injury of a child.
The total number of anti-ISIS security operations was eight, resulting in the killing of two militants and the arrest of eight others accused of having links with the group. The SDF carried out five of these operations, two of which were in cooperation with the Global Coalition, during which six people accused of working with ISIS were arrested.
Unknown armed groups carried out two operations in Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, killing two members accused of having links with ISIS. The government forces carried out one security operation, resulting in the arrest of two members accused of working with the group.
Turkish forces, SNA violations in Syria
In December 2023, the SNA killed three civilian men and injured 18 others including three women and four children.
The SNA factions seized civilians’ properties three times within their areas of control. One of these incidents, carried out by an armed group affiliated with SNA’s Levant Front (al-Jabha al-Shamiyah), involved the seizure of three trucks loaded with relief supplies intended for over 500 families residing in camps on the outskirts of the city of Tel Abyad in northern Syria.
The SNA’s Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (al-Amshat) seized three houses and a farmland spanning 18 hectares owned by original inhabitants in the village of Bassouta, south of the city of Afrin. The Hamza Division seized two trucks carrying 19 tons of olives belonging to the inhabitants of the village of Kafr Shil, north of Afrin, while they were heading to olive presses.
The department recorded the imposition of 21 varied royalties’ cases by the SNA factions, with the al-Amshat faction being one of the prominent parties that imposed royalties during December. The faction raided houses in 15 villages in the Afrin region, demanding an increase of royalties on them. Also, Sultan Murad faction imposed $2,000 on a contractor in order to allow him to build his project and protect him.
The statistics also recorded four cases of assault during the arrest of civilians from their houses and during protests in the town of al-Rai in the northern countryside of Aleppo. Two of these cases were committed by militants of the al-Amshat, one by the Civilian Police, and one by the Levant Front.
Two cases of torture resulted in the death of two young men in the factions’ prisons, one of whom died after enduring torture for four hours.
The SNA factions cut down 1,253 olive trees in the Afrin region.
The Turkish forces committed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Syria through indiscriminate shelling of areas in Northeastern Syria and through targeting asylum seekers with bullets or physical assaults. This led to 114 casualties with 21 killings including two women and one child, and 93 injuries including 18 women and three children.
The Turkish border guards opened fire at asylum seekers, killing seven civilians including a child, and injuring six others including a woman, while attempting to cross the Syrian-Turkish border.
Turkish forces’ assaults resulted in the killing of a man and the injury of 39 men and eight women.
The border guards killed two men by throwing them into the Orontes River, despite knowing that they could not swim.
The Turkish forces’ bombardment of Northeastern Syria resulted in 51 casualties, with nine men and two women killed, and 40 people injured including 21 men, 10 women, three children, and five SDF fighters, in addition to a soldier of the government forces.
In early December 2023, the Turkish organization, Deniz, completed the construction of about 100 residential apartments within a forest in the northwest of the village of Kafr Safra in the countryside of the town Jindires, west of Afrin. This came after militants of the Samarkand Brigade cut down hundreds of trees in the same site.
International, regional stances on Syria
Several UN and international meetings were held in December 2023, some of which involved shifts in stances and decisions regarding the country and its humanitarian response.
On Dec. 1, 2023, the president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) revealed in a report the measures related to establishing the International Independent Commission on Missing Persons in Syria, and outlined its work set to begin in the first quarter of 2024. The report covered the team’s composition, working mechanisms, and tasks, following meetings with the Syrian civil society and international organizations concerned with the Syrian situation.
During a meeting of the UN Security Council held on Dec. 21, 2023, Lisa Doughten, Director of the Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilization Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, briefed that “to date, the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria is only 33 per cent funded. This lack of resources is severely constraining our ability to provide critical life-saving assistance to millions of people.”
She urged sustained humanitarian access throughout the country through all modalities, and urgent and adequate funding to support the life-saving humanitarian response.
The World Food Program (WFP) announced on December that it would end its primary aid program in Syria by January 2024 due to funding shortfalls, saying that it required $593 million for the next six months to ensure the implementation of all its activities in Syria.
In its report on its activities in Syria on Dec. 24, 2023, the WFP said the impact of the Gaza conflict is noticeable in Syria, as United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operations in Syria have been suspended since Oct. 12, 2023 due to multiple airstrikes on Damascus and Aleppo International airports.