Syria regime claims heavy rebel losses in Aleppo

The ongoing fighting in Syria’s largest city of Aleppo has brought claim and counter-claim about who is gaining the upper hand.

Amateur pictures uploaded onto the internet are believed to show army tanks shelling buildings in the south of the city.

Syrian state television broadcast images of troops operating in debris-strewn streets and claimed government forces had inflicted heavy losses on rebels in Aleppo and elsewhere.

The report said Syrian forces had ousted the rebels from the important Salaheddin district, from where opponents of the regime said they’d made a tactical withdrawal last week.

But rebels have taken journalists into the area and say the Free Syria Army continues to operate, despite the presence of snipers and regular pounding from heavy artillery.

Given the scale of the destruction there are concerns for the fate of civilians still left in the city.

On Friday Human Rights Watch reminded both sides to respect the laws of war and avoid targeting civilians.

But many who have fled Aleppo say they were fired on by government forces.

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