July set to be deadliest month yet

An activist group claimed yesterday that more than 2,750 people had been killed in Syria so far this month, bringing the death toll since the conflict began to more than 19,000.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that if the current pace of killing continued through the end of July, it will be the deadliest month since the Syrian uprising erupted in March 2011.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the group, said that 2,752 people – 1,933 civilians, 738 government troops and 81 rebels – were killed in the first 21 days of July. Mr Abdul-Rahman said June had been the deadliest month so far with 2,924 deaths. The average daily death toll in June was 94, while this month it has increased to an average of 131 a day.

With journalists denied access to most of Syria, it is impossible to confirm the death tolls given by Syrian opposition groups. The UN has confirmed at least 10,000 deaths in the conflict.

AP