This week Syrian civil war casualties made international headlines for the first time in a while, when chilling footage emerged from a Syrian government bombing in the city of Douma, just outside the capital Damascus.
There, a barrel bomb struck a bustling marketplace, killing at least 111 people dead leaving some 200 wounded. Now the UN says those actions could constitute war crimes.
The Syrian government, meanwhile, has called the charges "outrageous," and "based on the inaccurate information spread by Syria’s enemies."
If you've spent any time following the war in the last four years, it won't be surprising to hear this is hardly the first time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies have killed civilians by the masses.
In 2015 so far, government forces have been the deadliest group on the ground for civilians, according to a chart by the Syrian Network for Human Rights. And while the chart doesn't address deaths perpetrated by the likes of al-Qaeda or the Free Syrian Army, it does show that when it comes to civilian deaths, government bombings are beating out even Daesh (ISIS). Via Twitter.
Important: January-July 2015 #Syria fatalities: Pro-regime killed 8,195 people (82%) ISIS killed 1,789 people (18%) pic.twitter.com/9isCiEOJHC
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) August 19, 2015
