Report: 2018 Syrian Death Toll Is Under 20,000

Among those killed in 2018 were 6,349 civilians, 1,437 of them children, Observatory chief Abdel Rahman said. (AFP)

TRT World: Syria war leaves nearly 20,000 dead this year – monitor

According to figures released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights this year's annual death toll is the lowest in the country's close to eight-year civil war but the misery persists for its people as the conflict continues.

Syria sees another deadly year with 19,666 people killed including 6,349 civilians, 1,437 of them children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Monday.

"2018 was the lowest annual toll since the start of the conflict," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The death toll for 2017 stood at more than 33,000 and the highest annual figure was reached in 2014 – the year that Daesh proclaimed a so-called "caliphate" over large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq – when 76,000 people were killed.

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Update #1: Syria deaths at wartime low in 2018 as Assad made gains (AP)
Update #2: 2018 death toll Syria war's lowest at under 20,000: monitor (AFP)

WNU Editor:  The total number killed after almost 8 years of war stands at around 400,000.

For The First Time In Six Years U.S. War Zone Deaths Are Up

Breaking Defense/DoD

Military Times: War zone deaths are up for the first time in six years

For the first time in six years, the number of U.S. troops killed in overseas operations has increased over the previous year.

So far this year, 31 service members have died in actions overseas, according to Defense Department data.

Last year, the total was 26, down two from 2015.

The figure does not include 17 sailors killed in two separate ship collisions this year.

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WNU Editor: It should be noted that the above number includes non-combat deaths .... which I believe is around 10.

Middle East Wars Have Claimed More Than 100,000 Lives In 2014

A photo provided by the Syrian opposition shows people in Aleppo inspecting the damage after an apparent surface-to-surface missile strike on the city. (Aleppo Media Center / February 20, 2013)

Financial Times: More than 100,000 killed in one of Middle East’s bloodiest years

WNU Editor: The civil war in Syria, the conflict in Iraq, the war against the Islamic State, civil war in Libya and Yemen, the Israel - Hamas war in the Gaza strip, terrorism attacks throughout the region .... it is easy to see how this 100,000 number was reached. The scary part is that there is now a real possibility that in 2015 these wars and conflicts are going to escalate, and will probably take even more lives.

Previous Posts

2014 Deadliest Year In Syria's Civil War, 76,021 Reported Killed
Over 17,000 Iraqi Civilians Killed From Warfare And Terrorism In 2014
Hamas Spokeman: Long-Term Truce Agreed With Israel

Are War Deaths Often Overestimated?

A Rwandan Hutu rebel carries a gun in the village of Kimua, eastern Congo. A study released last week argues that reports of battlefield deaths such as those in Democratic Republic of Congo have been overestimated.Rebecca Blackwell/Reuters/File

New Study Argues War Deaths Are Often Overestimated -- Christian Science Monitor

A new study, the Human Security Report, argues that politics and fund-raising priorities often lead to overestimates of battlefield deaths, touching off a controversy among the researchers who work on the issue.

A new report released this week asserts that the human cost of modern warfare has decreased significantly, challenging both the methods and results of other studies.

For instance, the Human Security Report, produced at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, claims that the widely cited death toll of 5.4 million in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is double what it should be.

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My Comment: There is probably some validity in this report. I have been covering and studying wars and conflicts for the past two decades, and the original figures for most of these conflicts have always been lowered after the war has stopped.

Even I have been wrong on calculating and/or hypothesizing casualties from a major event. In my case it was 9/11. I was sure that over 10,000 people were killed that day. My calculations came from knowing how many people worked in the twin towers, and how long it would take for most to flee if given the chance. Fortunately, my inflated figures were completely wrong.

People Are Not The Only Casualties In War

(Click To Enlarge)
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Staff Sgt. Corby Czajka holds back his eager partner, Betty, before engaging in a criminal chase exercise here. Sergeant Czajka is a 51st Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler. The dogs are highly trained to obey specific commands and for multiple tasks. The military working dog kennel here is the largest operational kennel in the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Wicke)

Military Hospital Opens For Dogs Wounded In War -- CNN

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) -- A $15 million veterinary hospital for four-legged military personnel opened Tuesday at Lackland Air Force Base, offering a long overdue facility that gives advanced medical treatment for combat-wounded dogs.

Dogs working for all branches of the military and the Transportation Security Administration are trained at the base to find explosive devices, drugs and land mines.

Some 2,500 dogs are working with military units.

Like soldiers and Marines in combat, military dogs suffer from war wounds and routine health issues that need to be treated to ensure they can continue working.

Dogs injured in Iraq or Afghanistan get emergency medical treatment on the battlefield and are flown to Germany for care. If necessary, they'll fly on to San Antonio for more advanced treatment -- much like wounded human personnel.

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Combat Deaths In Afghanistan Outpaced Iraq's In May

Suicide Attack In South Afghanistan

From The Houston Chronicle:

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — It's a grim gauge of U.S. wars going in opposite directions: American and allied combat deaths in Afghanistan in May passed the monthly toll in Iraq for the first time.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates used the statistical comparison to dramatize his point to NATO defense ministers that they need to do more to get Afghanistan moving in a better direction.

He wants more allied combat troops, more trainers and more public commitment.

More positively, the May death totals point to security improvements in Iraq that few thought likely a year ago.

But the deterioration in Afghanistan suggests a troubling additional possibility: a widening of the war to Pakistan, where the Taliban and al-Qaida have found haven.

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News From Other Sources:
More US Forces Killed In Afghanistan Last Month Than Iraq -- Donklephant
May's combat deaths in Afghanistan outnumber Iraq -- AP
Coalition toll surpasses Iraq deaths for first time -- Guardian

My Comment: This war is heating up. When I read the blog posts from servicemen serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, it is clear that Afghanistan is the dangerous place for a soldier today.