DAMASCUS - At least 3,000 people have been killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria since Sept. 30 of last year,  a Syrian monitor group reported on Wednesday.

The airstrikes killed a total of 1,015 civilians, including 238 children under 18, 640 men and 137 women, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Additionally, the UK-based monitoring group said the strikes killed 893 militants with the Islamic State (IS) group and 1,141 others from various jihadi groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

The officials in Syria or Russia have yet to comment on the death toll.

The Russian air force has been backing the Syrian ground force with airstrikes since last September.

Government officials in Syria said the strikes were effective in curbing the expansion of the radical groups in the war-torn country.  (Xinhua)