The United Nations has confirmed August was the deadliest month so far in Syria’s 18-month-long armed conflict between President Bashar al-Assad and armed rebels. U.N. Special Coordinator Robert Serry said the toll continues to grow, with no signs of slowing down.

Robert Serry: “The month of August registered the highest number of casualties thus far, and this toll is growing. More than two-and-a-half million people, including refugees from Palestine and Iraq, now need assistance and protection inside Syria. As conditions deteriorate, we see dangerous implications for Syria’s neighbors.”