Battle for Syrian city of Aleppo rages on

The battle for Aleppo continued on Tuesday as rebels denied government claims that the Syrian military had retaken the district of Salahadinne.

State television reported that troops had “purged” the area of rebel fighters and was pursuing them in several other neighbourhoods.

Euronews has been unable to verify the claims by either side.

A member of the Free Syrian Army said rockets had been used by President Bashar Assad’s troops “to attack women and children”. He displayed a shell he said was fired at residents in the Attarib district.

Aleppo is a strategically important city to the government and the rebels. It is Syria’s economic powerhouse, home to one quarter of the country’s population and the crossroads of several key trade routes.

Right up until earlier this month, Aleppo had been spared in the uprising against the Assad family’s rule. Fighting there is now in its 11th consecutive day as more locals scramble to join the 200,000 fellow residents who have already fled the violence.

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