Foreign media overstate Syria death toll

The Syrian opposition accuses the foreign media of blowing the events unfolding in the country out of proportion, saying the real number of those killed during months of unrest is much less than what they claim.

Head of the opposition-linked Coordination Committee, responsible for tracking and announcing the number of victims of Syria unrest which has ben orchestrated by US, Zionist Israel and their regional allies, has said that nearly 500 of those reported dead by the foreign media are alive.

He also said that the opposition is losing the trust and confidence of Syrians over the lies and exaggerations.

The unnamed official also held Razan Zaitouneh, an opposition member who has gone into hiding, responsible for spreading lies and incorrect information to news agencies, including Reuters, al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March. Damascus says 700 security and police forces and 700 insurgents have been killed during five months of unrest.

The opposition, however, claims that 2,200 people have been killed.

While the opposition accuses security forces of being behind the killings, the government blames outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups for the deadly violence, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.