UN: More than 300,000 civilians killed in Syria’s conflict

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations says the first 10 years of Syria’s conflict, which began in 2011, killed more than 300,000 civilians. The report released Tuesday by the U.N. Human Rights Office is the highest yet estimate of conflict-related civilian deaths in the country. Syria’s conflict began with anti-government protests that broke out in March 2011 in different parts of Syria, demanding democratic reforms following Arab Spring protests across the Middle East. However, it quickly turned into a full-blown civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and destroyed large parts of the country.