Free Syrian Army fighters battle with govt soldiers in streets of Aleppo

(1 Sep 2012)

Old city, Aleppo
1. Various of fighters with the Free Syrian Army taking up positions, running in the narrow streets of the old city, shooting their weapons at Syrian Army positions (unseen)
2. Fighters taking up positions and fire at unseen Syrian Army positions, UPSOUND: (Arabic) fighters shouting "God is Great"
3. Fighters shoot from behind a wall down the street at Syrian Army positions in the old city
4. Fighters take cover as the Syrian army try and counter their advance, bullets crashing into the walls of the old town create smoke and debris
5. Various of fighters shooting from behind a wall down the street at Syrian Army positions in the old city while they retreat
6. Hands of a fighter loading bullets into his magazine as gunfire erupts nearby
7. Rebel fighter loads bullets into his magazine
8. Fighter fires his AK47 through a hole in an empty damaged home, at unseen Syrian Army position
Salah al-Din neighbourhood, Aleppo
9. Various of fighters with the Free Syrian Army return fire on Syrian Army positions
10. Fighters return fire on the Syrian Army, as they shout: (Arabic) "God is Great"
11. Various of fighter with the Free Syrian Army hiding behind sandbags returns fire on Syrian Army positions
12. Rebel fighter fires on Syrian Army positions
13. Hands of a fighter loading bullets into machine gun belt during a battle against Syrian Army
14. Various of fighters returning fire on Syrian Army positions
15. Fighters fill plastic bags with sand to add to sandbagged defences at their firing position
16. Fighters place plastic bags filled with sand onto sandbag defensive wall
17. Rebel fighter fires from stairwell on a Syrian Army sniper position
18. Fighter returns fire on the Syrian Army positions
19. Fighters with the Free Syrian Army taping fuel canisters onto their RPG
20. Fighters load an RPG that has fuel canisters taped onto it
21. During a pause in the fighting, UPSOUND: fighter chants: (Arabic) "I do not fear death. This is my belief. I'm seeking to be an immortal. Let my father be happy."
22. Three fighters with the Free Syrian Army fire from stairwell on a Syrian Army sniper position

STORYLINE:

Dramatic video showed fierce fighting continuing on the streets of Aleppo between rebel fighters and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The running street battles took place over the past three days in Aleppo's old city and the nearby neighbourhood of Salah al-Din.
The FSA press centre claims the Free Syrian Army now control close to 70 percent of Aleppo, while regime officials claim they have pushed the fighters out into the countryside.
Apart from the fierce fighting in those areas, there were also reports from opposition activists on Friday that a rebel unit of army defectors had launched a major offensive against security facilities in the city, and that anti-regime forces had targeted air bases to try to reduce the military threat from the skies.
The coordinated attacks began before midnight on Thursday and ended on Friday morning - two days after Assad conceded that his forces had been unable to quell the rebellion.
The rebel offensive targeted an artillery training school, a compound of the feared air force intelligence, and a large army checkpoint, according to Mohammed Saeed, an activist based in the city, which is Syria's commercial capital.
The offensive will focus on specific military and intelligence targets in Aleppo and the surrounding province of the same name, he added.
Rebels also control much of the wider Aleppo province, including areas on the border with Turkey.

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