A RISING TIDE OF DEATH Syrians took to the streets across the country on Friday demanding President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, chanting “Get out! Get out!” But 11-months of protests have been met with the regime’s brutal military might, with crackdowns on cities and towns, and with an ever increasing death toll. Activists say more than 8,000 people have been killed and analysts believe the country is heading for civil war.

DEATH TOLL BY GOVERNORATE SINCE MARCH 2011 TURKEY DEATH TOLL BY GOVERNORATE - MARCH 18, 2011 - FEB. 16, 2012 PROTEST AND VIOLENT CLASH LOCATIONS - FEB. 1 - 14, 2012 Dayrik MAJORITY RELIGION AREAS Ar Raqqah Al Hasakah 41 dead 72 dead Al ALAWI 203 CHRISTIAN dead SUNNI

YEZIDI Euphrates A L H A S A K A H IRAQ DRUZE A'zaz Saluq RECENT TIMELINE Afrin Al Hasakah ❚ Mare FEB. 3: The army unleashes a Al Bab massive attack on TURKEY subjecting the city to a relentless Aleppo R A Q Q AH barrage of heavy machine-gun Buhayrat fire, tank shells, mortars and 955 dead al Asad rocket-propelled grenades. Three As Safirah Ar Raqqah Ash Shaddadah hundred and sixty-one civilians Idlib A L E P P O Hamrat die on the first day with another Euphrates 250 dying since then. Madinat L A T A K I A I D L I B ❚ FEB. 6: The United States closes Ath Thawrah Resafa its embassy in and Haffe withdraws all staff. ❚ FEB. 8: The mountain town of Latakia Dayr az Zawr Zabadani is attacked. It was 355 dead under rebel control. The regime H A M A was forced into a truce with S Y R I A N A R A B R E P U B L I C Busayrah rebels in January. Mediterranean Sea T A R T U S As Saiamiyah ❚ FEB. 10: Twin car bombs kill at Masyaf least 28 people in Aleppo. The regime and the opposition blame Tartus each other. 170 Euphrates ❚ FEB. 11: Three gunmen ambush dead Homs and kill a military general on a street in Damascus. D A Y R A Z Z A WR Al Qusayr ❚ FEB. 15: Military unleashes a new offensive in Hama, firing at LEBANON Sadad residential neighbourhoods with Damascus anti-aircraft guns mounted on H O M S governorate armoured vehicles. In Damascus, Qaryatayn troops backed by armour sweep 783 dead Dayr into the Barzeh district, searching az Zawr houses and making arrests. Beirut An Nabk 276 dead ❚ FEB. 16: Syrian troops attack Zabadani rebel strongholds in Deraa where the uprising against President Dumayr Duma Bashar al-Assad erupted nearly a Damascus City: IRAQ Hama year ago. 1,058 dead 161 dead Damascus

D A M A S C U S TURKEY

Quneitra: 15 dead A S S U W A I D A IRAQ Golan Heights (Israeli occupied ) Homs LIBYA 2,928 dead As Suwaida EGYPT SAUDI ARABIA ISRAEL Deraa Deraa JORDAN 906 dead

SUDAN As Suwaida: West47 dead Bank MONTHLY DEATH TOLL SINCEAmm aMARCHn 2011 770

March April May June July August September October November December January February 121 727 561 529 446 691 521 576 812 1,118 1,174 1,025

444 404 416 WEEKLY DEATH TOLL SINCE MARCH 2011 336 300 262 255 241 224 219 200 191 191 198 176 181 181 176 174 161 161 168 145 156 152 129 137 107 114 92 96 96 83 78 72 77 85 89 63 55 50 64 58 66 32 39 4

March 2011 April May June July August September October November December January February 2012

DEATH TOLL BY DOCUMENTED AGE (of 8,301 deaths only around 1,700 have documented ages) DEATH TOLL BY CIVILIAN / MILITARY DEATH TOLL BY NATIONALITY NUMBER & PERCENTAGE NUMBER & PERCENTAGE The death rate for children under 18 is very high, almost 30%. The highest death rate of all ages is children aged 10. Syrian forces have been accused of targeting children to scare away protesters. Other 64 0.2% (48 Palestinians, 150 Military Civilians Syrians 5 Lebanese, CHILDREN ADULTS deserters 856 7,445 8,237 3 Iraqi, 2 Jordanian, 10% 90% 99.8% 2 Egyptian, 2 Turkish, 1 Saudi Arabian, 1 French) 100

DEATH TOLL BY GENDER DEATH TOLL BY GENDER OF CHILDREN* NUMBER & PERCENTAGE NUMBER & PERCENTAGE

50

Women 473 Men 7,828 Girls 107 Boys 436 6% 94% 20% 80%

0 Age 0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-85 *Children under 17

SOURCE: UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH & SYRIANSHUHADA.COM RICHARD JOHNSON / NATIONAL POST