The conflicts pitting Syria's military forces against the resistance have resulted in "well over 7,500" dead in the past 11 months, the United Nations said Tuesday, dpa reported.
The top UN political affairs officer, B Lynn Pascoe, told the Security Council during a review session that the Syrian government's disproportionate use of force against protesters had driven the once largely peaceful opposition to armed resistance.
"Extremists have also used the situation to carry out terrorist actions, in particular in Damascus and Aleppo," Pascoe said.
"While we cannot give exact casualty figures, there are credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children," he said.
Pascoe blamed the situation on failure by the international community to stop the killing, saying that "actions and inactions to date have seemed to encourage the regime in its belief it has the impunity to carry on wanton destruction of its own civilians."
He said between 100,000 and 200,000 Syrians have been internally displaced by the fighting between the two sides and that 25,000 others have taken refuge in neighbouring countries and registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.