The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) published the results of an assessment of the damage to Syrian cities caused by seven years of relentless bombardment by the Assad regime and its allies against the rebellious areas since 2011.
The UNITAR published a damage atlas that uses satellite-detected damage analysis to identify buildings that are either destroyed, or severely, or moderately damaged. The analysis has been visualized and developed further to provide an overview of the extent of damage and its impact on the community.
According to the study, the city of Aleppo came first in terms of the number of buildings destroyed by the Assad regime and its allies’ bombing campaigns. Nearly 36,000 buildings in Aleppo and 35,000 others in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta were destroyed.
The city of Homs came third in the list with 13,778 buildings destroyed. The destroyed buildings included 12,781 in Raqqa, 10,529 in Hama, 6,405 in Deir Ezzor, and 5,489 in the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees.
The majority of the Syrian cities, towns and villages which revolted against the Assad regime were subjected to heavy aerial and artillery bombardment which caused enormous damage to infrastructure, public facilities and civilian homes.
Western countries said that the Assad regime’s brutal response, and role in the conflict that followed, resulted in the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
In a joint statement marking the eighth anniversary of the Syrian revolution, the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said: “Eight years ago today, tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets to claim the right to express themselves freely, call for reform, and demand justice.”
The statement went on to say that “over 400,000 men, women, and children have been killed. Tens of thousands have been disappeared into Assad’s prison system, where many have been tortured and killed.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
