Staggering satellite images show devastation Syrian civil war has had on country

Updated



By RYAN GORMAN

A series of satellite images from Syria have shown the devastating toll a prolonged civil war has had on the country.

The pictures show the expansion of refugee camps, looting of world heritage sites, people fleeing towns and even the extent of roadblocks in place since insurgents began waging war on the Assad regime in 2011.

The collection of images was first flagged by Mic News.

The first couple of pictures shows the rapid expansion in 2012 of the Zaatari Refugee Camp, just over the border in Jordan.

What started as a small blip on the map has exploded into a burgeoning city of the homeless, or people fleeing oppression at the hands of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Other images show pits that experts believe are evidence of the world's oldest churches and synagogues being robbed of riches.

Another image shows the dramatic evacuation of thousands across the Tigris River into Iraq, which is also in the throes of a war against ISIS.

Maps with a nearly uncountable number of red dots shows the road blocks set up around the hotly contested city of Aleppo.

The satellite image with a large circle shows The Citadel, an enormous medieval fortress in Aleppo. Subsequent images with arrows show the damage caused by government air strikes.

Hotels, mosques and other important structures at the UNESCO World Heritage Site have been wiped off the map.

Syria's civil war has shown no signs of ending. And Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has shown no real motivation to oust ISIS from its base in the northern city Raqqa.

More scenes of devastation are sure to come from the war-torn country.

Away from Kobani, Syria's Other Civil War Rages on
Away from Kobani, Syria's Other Civil War Rages on


Related links:
Kurds describe fierce battles on streets of Kobani
US military says it conducts airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq
UN: Syria declares another 4 chemical facilities

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