London-Based Syrian Group: At Least 63 Killed in Syria

16 Syrian Soldiers Killed in Aleppo Province

London-based rebel mouthpiece the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) is reporting at least 63 people killed across Syria today, calling it the end to “one of the bloodiest weeks in the conflict.” SOHR figures put the 7-day toll at over 700.

No more are the rebel claims that all the deaths are random civilians, as the civil war is moving on in earnest, and the SOHR reported 16 soldiers killed in a fight in the town of Darat Izza, in Aleppo Province. Darat Izza is the same town in which rebels killed 25 “pro-regime” people on Friday.

Indeed, the claims from SOHR seem to emphasize the deaths among the military, claiming that the army had “buried 113 soldiers in one region alone” and that military morale is plummeting in the face of rebel gains.

Syria’s state media seems to be downplaying the major fighting, and instead are reporting primarily on bombing attacks by some of the rebel factions against government buildings, and the assassination of local police officials. This too is a significant change, as in the past they had focused on the fighting with claims that a military victory was imminent.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.