article_snippet: The conflict hjas since escalated into a complex war involving extremist Islamic groups including ISIS and forces from other nations including the US.
article_snippet: the civil war has left a trail of destruction so deep on the landscape that the civil war can be seen from space.
article_snippet: Researchers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science  analyzed high-resolution satellite images of Aleppo taken from August 2012 to May 2013.
article_snippet: Researchers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science   noticed a dramatic increase in the damage to buildings and infrastructure over the 10-month period, with almost all of the destruction concentrated in rebel-controlled or contested areas.
article_snippet: Researchers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science   also found that the historic 13th century walled ancient city of Aleppo - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - has also suffered extensive damage from the civil war.
article_snippet: Satellite images have also shown how the proliferation of roadblocks and build up of artillery and tanks have increased.
article_snippet: In separate satellite images released by Amnesty International in 2012, there were more than 600 craters caused by artillery fire in the small town of Anadan, four miles from second city Aleppo.
article_snippet: An estimated 200,000 people have now been killed and an estimated nine million Syrians have fled An estimated 200,000 people homes since the outbreak of the civil war.
article_snippet: The initial 2011 uprising and subsequent civil war has now mutated into a complex battle between factions, like the Kurdish People's Protection Unit pictured above, Islamic State fighters and Bashar Hafez al-Assad's regime .