The price of war: Child victims ignored in fight for power (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)

The Syrian civil war has killed nearly half a million people but rages on.

The air is thick with dust and the ground is littered with debris. Buildings are crumbling and the sound of warplanes no longer send Syria's people running.

This is the norm for Syria's citizens and her children are the most innocent of the victims.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While Syria's civil war continues beyond the five-year-mark, nearly half a million people have died.

Over 11 million citizens have been forced to abandon their homes while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad staves off attacks from ISIS militants and "rebels," who demand long-promised economic and political reforms.

While the exact catalyst of the war remains uncertain, what is known is that in 2011, protestors and demonstrators became armed rebels prepared to fight for a better Syria.

The war exploded, with ISIS combing the globe and the Free Syrian Army desperate to overthrow what they view as a corrupt and callous government.

Meanwhile, Assad decided to fight back.

At one point, both sides of the fight began to attack civilians and suddenly all hell truly broke loose.

No one is spared from the evils of war. Men, women, children, the elderly, the sick, it doesn't matter.

In the face of battle, people stand, fall or become trapped in a harsh game of survival.

Sadly, this includes children too young to understand why their world is literally being blown to pieces.

Please pray for Syria. Pray for peace, for hearts to be changed, for the survival of innocent lives and for a resolution to restore the broken country.

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