The civil war in Syria continues to rage on, having been a bloody conflict since it began more than two years ago.  Recently, the situation has drawn even more international attention after an August 21^st chemical weapons attack left more than 1400 people dead.

What started as a string of peaceful protests against the ruthless dictator Bashar Al-Assad in March 2011 rapidly developed into a full-fledged civil war. Fighting quickly spread to the streets affecting not only rebel and regime soldiers, but also innocent civilians like the victims of the August 21^st  chemical weapons attacks. The fatalities have been devastating and the effect on the civilians alone is truly tragic. In the two and a half years of fighting the Syrian civil war has taken approximately 110,000 lives, with nearly 40% of those being civilians, according to the Huffington Post.

Perhaps even more devastating than the deaths has been the massive refugee crisis stemming from the civil war. The United Nations Refugee Agency reports that there are currently around 2 million Syrian refugees fleeing the country in search of a safer, more stable home.

Over half a million Syrians have fled to the southern neighboring nation of Jordan, according to UNICEF. Zaatari, the second largest Jordan refugee camp in the world, has alone received 120,000 refugees in a little over two months. The massive influx of people has caused food shortages, overcrowding, increased job competition and the return of diseases previously eliminated from Jordan, the Guardian reports. And yet the Jordanians soldier on, as a country determined to assist their neighbor in need.

In Lebanon the effect has been even greater. A country of less than 4.5 million people, it has experienced an enormous population boost as Syrian refugees have flooded across the border, says UNICEF. In one just week over 15,000 Syrian refugees were registered, the CTV News reports. According to the Wall Street Journal, the country is now experiencing power shortages nationwide. Additionally, they note, Lebanon is a prime route for relief efforts directed at Syria which has sparked concerns about a lack of aid should the borders close or war break out.

Turkey and Iraq have also experienced major effects of the civil war. Since the start of the year the number of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey has grown by about 27%, the UN reports, with the total number of refugees there weighing in at about 460,000. They also note that Iraq is currently hosting around 170,000 refugees. In one single day, between August 31st and September 1st, a whopping 3,000 Syrians fled to Iraq, according to the CTV News.

Not only has the war devastated the population of Syria and many of the surrounding countries, it has also destroyed many cultural and historical sites in the nation. Fighting and bombing throughout the country has served to decimate many sites and relics that have given us a much better understanding of many ancient cultures, such as the Assyrian civilization. The severity of the demolition of these sites has reached such a point that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has placed six Syrian sites, such as the Ancient Cities of Damascus and Aleppo, on their list of World Heritage sites in danger. Additionally officials have called on the people of Syria to keep the preservation of ancient and historical sites a priority. The destruction of these ancient, venerable sites is truly a tragedy.

The international community hopes for a quick end to what has turned into a brutal civil war, as well as the resulting refugee crisis which has affected over 2 million people and those in the countries to which they flee. No matter your opinions on American involvement in Syria, it’s obvious this war needs to end somehow. If you would like to assist with the relief effort, visit www.unhcr.org. The United Nations Refugee Agency is committed to helping refugees worldwide and greatly appreciates any and all help.