Before the Syrian Civil War began, Aleppo was Syria's largest city, but much of it has now been destroyed. Over 151,000 people have died in the war since 2011, when protests against President Assad's authoritarian rule led to a violent crackdown and civil war. The battle of Aleppo has been particularly bloody, with both government and rebel forces indiscriminately targeting civilians using barrel bombs and hell cannons. The UN Secretary General has called Aleppo "a synonym for hell" due to the violence and destruction that has left thousands dead and much of the city in ruins.

1. Understanding the Syrian Civil War
Skye Fitzgerald

2. Before the Syrian Civil War began Aleppo
was the country’s largest and most populous
city.
Today, however, much of the city has been
transformed into a nightmare.
Many of the city’s ancient buildings have
been severely damaged or reduced to rubble.
As of April 2016, 151,888 people have died in
the war—31,257 in Aleppo alone. (This
number doesn’t include the deaths of pro-
government forces).
To understand the current situation in
Aleppo, it’s necessary to look at how the
Syrian Civil War started.
Syrian Civil War

3. In 2011 a number of Arab countries
experienced waves of protest.
Inspired by the success of protests in Egypt
and Tunisia, Syrians took to the streets to
protest President Bashar al-Assad’s
authoritarian government which has been in
power since 1971.
During demonstrations in the city of Darʿā,
protesters were killed by Assad’s forces.
In response to the protests, Assad claimed that
the government would gradually introduce
reform; however, as protests continued to
intensify, security forces responded with
more violence.
Arab Spring

4. Fighting between the government and
opposition forces continued throughout 2012,
and the civilian death toll continued to rise.
Neither side seemed to be gaining much
ground in the conflict.
In 2013 the international community learned
that pro-Assad forces may have used
chemical weapons.
Assad denied the accusation and blamed the
rebels for the chemical weapons.
In September Time reported that—not only
did Assad employ chemical weapons in 2013
—he was still using them as recently as this
year.
Civil War

5. The Battle of Aleppo has been one of the most
bloodiest battles in recent memory.
Pro-government forces, with the help of
Russia, have routinely targeted schools and
hospitals in rebel areas with barrel bombs.
In return, rebel forces have used hell cannons
in areas that the government holds.
The aim of both barrel bombs and hell
cannons is extremely inaccurate, so their use
is almost guaranteed to kill civilians who live
in the targeted areas.
On December 16th of this year the United
Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon,
stated: “Aleppo is now a synonym for hell”
(UN).
Aleppo

6. At the moment it appears that civilians are
being evacuated from what remains of the
city.
However, the evacuation was delayed at
times when both sides resumed fighting.
Assad has shown that he will stop at nothing
in order to remain in power—even if it means
killing thousands of his own citizens and
leveling 4,000 years of history.
Many analysts believe that the civil war will
continue due to the involvement of the
Islamic State and what remains of the rebel
forces.
What is certain, though, is that history will
remember the international community’s
failure to act as one of the most shameful acts
of the century.
Failure to Act