Choose the correct alternative.

More than 250,000 Syrians _______ their lives in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which _______ with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war. More than 11 million others _______ forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and _______ opposed to _______ rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868