January was bloodiest month in Syrian civil war

Nearly 6,000 people died January in the Syrian civil war, as the total toll since March 2011 rose to at least 136,227. Releasing these figures, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights warned that the real numbers may be much higher as accuracy is affected by the extreme secretiveness of all the sides. Among those killed were 47,998 civilians, including more than 7,300 children. Meanwhile, the first round of Geneva II talks in Montreux, Switzerland, between the opposition and government failed to make any progress on ceasefires, humanitarian aid or a transitional government. A second round of negotiations is scheduled for Feb. 10.