310 0 Kommentare Use of Airstrikes in Syrian Conflict Rose by 150 Percent after Russian Intervention, Jane’s by IHS Markit Says

The use of airstrikes by Syrian and Russian forces in the ongoing conflict in Syria has increased 149.8 percent since Russia’s intervention in September 2015, helping the Syrian government to triple the territories under its control, according to a new report from Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) by global business information provider IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).

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Syrian/Russian airstrikes Q2 2013 - Q1 2018 (Photo: Business Wire)

“The changing landscape of the conflict in Syria as a consequence of the Russian intervention has provided the Syrian government with the space and time to concentrate forces at key strategic areas and use overwhelming force to recapture opposition-held territory,” said Matthew Henman, head of JTIC at IHS Markit. “JTIC’s recorded data underlines the key role airstrikes have played in this strategy, with opposition forces largely unable to defend against, let alone replicate, the threat posed by airpower.”

Key findings in the report:

The end of March 2018 marked two and a half years since the launch of Russia’s military intervention in Syria, during which time government territorial control has almost tripled.
According to data recorded by JTIC, the use of airstrikes has increased dramatically since the Russian intervention, with 6,833 separate instances of Syrian/Russian airstrikes in this period: a 149.8 percent increase from the 2,735 recorded in the preceding two and a half years (April 2013 to September 2015).
At the same time, however, the number of resultant civilian fatalities from these airstrikes decreased slightly by 9.3 percent from 6,899 in the pre-intervention period to 6,254 in the post-intervention period.
Syrian/Russian airstrikes have targeted the Islamic State on 960 occasions following Russia’s intervention, accounting for just 14 percent of all such airstrikes in this period.
According to Conflict Monitor by IHS Markit, the state controlled just 15.9 percent (29,450 square kilometres) of territory in Syria in mid-September 2015. At the end of March 2018, this had almost tripled to 47.4 percent (87,995 sq km) of the country.