 Syrian soldiers stand at the site of bombings near the headquarters of the armed forces general staff in Damascus on Wednesday, September 26. The government said a fight was under way to "cleanse" rebels from the targeted building -- the office of the joint chiefs of staff -- but military officials are fine.  Smoke rises from the site of the explosion Wednesday in Damascus. The Free Syrian Army, a group battling government forces, claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack.  Syrian troops walk down a street Tuesday, September 25, in Aleppo following fighting between government forces and rebels.  A school building that was occupied by security forces and pro-government militias was reportedly destroyed by rebel-planted bombs in Damascus on Tuesday.  Firefighters stand among debris from the destroyed school building in Damascus on Tuesday.  A member of the Syrian government forces walks down a street strewn with debris in Aleppo on Monday, September 24.  Rubble surrounds buildings destroyed by fighting between Syrian government troops and rebel forces in Aleppo on Monday.  Soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad travel in a Syrian Army tank in Aleppo on Sunday, September 23, after clashes between Free Syrian Army fighters and regime forces.  Syrian Army soldiers run in a damaged area in Aleppo on Sunday.  Damaged vehicles and rubble litter a street in Aleppo on Sunday.  A wounded boy cries during treatment at a hospital after being shot by a sniper in Aleppo, Syria, on Friday, September 21.  A Syrian rebel is comforted by a friend as he mourns the death of a comrade at a hospital in Aleppo on Friday.  A Syrian woman prepares to grab a bag of belongings as she stands amid rubble at a house where a child was killed Friday.  Syrian women walk past closed shops in Aleppo on Friday.  Men carry the covered body of a child killed in an attack by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Friday.  Friday's attack by Syrian forces leaves a hole in a house in Aleppo where a child was killed.  Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad appear in Aleppo's Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood Thursday, September 20.  Syrian troops look at a map of the Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood in Aleppo on Thursday.  Damaged buildings and cars are seen in the al-Midan neighborhood of Aleppo after Free Syrian Army fighters and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad clashed on Thursday.  Fighters and civilians walk past buildings damaged during fighting between rebel and government forces in Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian rebel fighters in position at a deserted market in Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian rebel fighters man a checkpoint in Aleppo on Thursday. Syrian Army soldiers run in a damaged area at al-Arqoub neighbourhood on Sunday.  Volunteers for the Amr Ibn Al-Aass brigade load their rifles during training on the outskirts of Azaz, in northern Syria, on September 19.  Brigade volunteers run as part of their training on the outskirts of Azaz, in northern Syria, on Wednesday.  Volunteers stand in lines during their training sesssion on Wednesday.  Volunteers train with rifles on the outskirts of Azaz on Wednesday.  Civilians and members of the Free Syrian Army inspect a damaged building in al-Kalaseh neighborhood in Aleppo after an airstrike Wednesday.  People pull out bodies from under the rubble of a destroyed building in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Construction equipment is used at the Aleppo site on Wednesday.  Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on Tuesday, September 18.  The survivor of a strike by Syrian regime forces arrives at a hospital in the Sheikh Fares district of Aleppo on Tuesday.  A Syrian rebel gestures as he waits to be treated for his wounds at an Aleppo hospital on Tuesday.  A Syrian rebel holds AK-47 rifles belonging to wounded comrades at the entrance to an Aleppo hospital on Tuesday.  Members of a Syrian family cry outside an Aleppo hospital after surviving a strike by Syrian regime forces on Tuesday.  Free Syrian Army rebels use a mirror to scope out a nearby Syrian army outpost in Aleppo's Old City on Sunday, September 16.  A Free Syrian Army fighter yells "Allahu Akbar!" (Arabic for "God is great!") as he mans a position with his comrades Sunday in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.  A Free Syrian Army fighter patrols a street near Aleppo's Old City on Sunday.  A Free Syrian Army rebel checks a Dragunov sniper rifle Sunday near Aleppo.  A Free Syrian Army fighter moves inside an artillery-shelled mosque Sunday in Aleppo.  A Syrian man inspects damage from an air raid by regime forces in Al-Bab, 20 miles northeast of Syria's commercial capital, Aleppo, on Saturday, September 15.  Syrian men sift through the rubble of houses in al-Bab on Saturday.  A wounded Syrian man is taken to a hospital after surviving an air raid by regime forces in Al-Bab on Saturday.  Syrian rebels prepare to fire during clashes with regime forces as they stand near a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used as a mock sniper target in Aleppo on Friday, September 14.  Syrian rebels take position during clashes with regime forces in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, September 14. Syrian regime forces used fighter jets and helicopter gunships to pound the city and province of Aleppo, where fierce clashes raged around a military airport, monitors said.  A Syrian rebel fires at a position held by regime forces during clashes on Friday in Aleppo.  A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on Friday.  Fighters with the Free Syria Army regroup at their base in Azaz, a city north of Aleppo, on Thursday, September 13.  Syrian volunteers distribute food to residents Thursday in Aleppo.  A Syrian rebel fighter takes a position in the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Wednesday, September 12.  A Syrian rebel fighter patrols the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood on Wednesday.  People inspect the damage in Aleppo's Hananu district after it was shelled heavily in an airstrike on Wednesday, September 12.  Syrian rebel commander Abu Mohammed, far right, listens to reports from fellow fighters at his base in the Old City neighborhood of Aleppo on Wednesday.  Syrian rebels gather around a bucket of mortars while fighting with scarce ammunition in the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Wednesday.  Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard after escorting the newly released Aydin Tufan Tekin, a Turkish national abducted by a Lebanese Shiite clan in Beirut, to the Lebanese General Security in Beirut, on Tuesday, September 11. The hostage was a Turkish businessman abducted in mid-August, along with around 20 Syrians, to put pressure on rebels in Syria who had s eized one of their kinsmen in Damascus.  A Syrian rebel sniper shoots at forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Seif al-Dawla area in the embattled northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, September 10.  An armed fighter of the Free Syrian Army stands atop a destroyed Syrian army tank to have his picture taken by a passer-by in the northern Syrian town of Azaz, some 47 kilometers north of Aleppo, on Monday.  People walk past a row of destroyed buildings near the Al-Hayat Hospital in Aleppo on Monday.  A member of the Free Syrian Army enjoys an ice cream on the road from Azaz to Aleppo on Monday.  A house in the Seif al-Dawla area of Aleppo is severely damaged after clashes between rebels and government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on Monday.  The bodies of Syrian civilians killed during shelling by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad are loaded on the back of a pickup truck to be transferred for burial in Aleppo on Sunday, September 9.  A Free Syria Army fighter fires his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in the Izza neighbourhood of Aleppo on Sunday.  Syrian government forces take position in a residential neighbourhood in Aleppo on Saturday, September 8.  An abandoned pet tortoise walks on the debris of a damaged house in the neighborhood of old Homs on Sunday.  Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian government forces on Saturday, September 8, in Aleppo, Syria.  A wounded rebel fighter is helped by fellow fighters during clashes with forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Saturday.  Residents walk down a street covered in rubble in the neighborhood of Bustan al-Basha on Saturday.  A car bomb exploded in Damascus, the Syrian capital , on Friday, September 7. State television said it was the second blast in a day against government targets. No casualties had yet been reported.  Syrian workers remove damaged vehicles from the site where a booby-trapped car exploded in the suburb of Mazzah, Damascus, on Friday. According to media reports, one person was injured in the explosion, which caused material damage to the area.  Civilians stand near a bomb crater after a Syrian air force fighter jet dropped a bomb on Wednesday, September 5, in Azaz, a town north of Aleppo.  Free Syrian Army fighters sleep in a room in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Smoke rises after a Syrian air force fighter jet launched missiles Wednesday at El Edaa district in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.  Rebels carry the body of a fellow fighter after a sniper shot him in Aleppo on Tuesday, September 4.  Im Al-Zinar church shows damage Tuesday in the western city of Homs.  Free Syrian Army fighters take up positions in a shelled out building in the Seif El Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday, September 2, as clashes with Syrian government forces continue.  A Free Syrian Army fighter peeks around the corner of a building during a shootout with snipers on a street in the El Amreeyeh neighborhood of Aleppo.  Syrian detainees who were arrested for participation in protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime sign their release papers at the Damascus police leadership building Saturday, September 1.  Syrian prisoners wait in line to sign their release papers at the Damascus central police station on Saturday, as the authorities released 158 people from the facility.  Syrian prisoners congratulate each other as they walk out of the Damascus central police station.  A Syrian air force fighter jet launches missiles at El Edaa district in Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo. Nearly 18 months of violence have left thousands dead in Syria.  Smoke rises from the El Edaa district after a Syrian fighter jet dropped missiles.  Civilians carry their belongings and flee the El Edaa district after an airstrike.  Escaping civilians drive through the El Amreeyeh neighborhood in Aleppo.  Free Syrian Army fighters transport explosives on a motorbike in Aleppo on Friday, August 31.  A boy sits at a window spotted with bullet holes at a local bakery.  Children pass a bagged body outside a hospital in Aleppo on Thursday, August 30.  Members of the Syrian opposition carry a wounded man outside a hospital in Aleppo on Thursday, August 30.  A Free Syrian Army fighter walks through a hole in a damaged house on his way to the El Amreeyeh neighborhood frontline during clashes with government forces in Aleppo.  Free Syrian Army fighters take up position during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighborhood of Aleppo.  Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover after Syrian forces fired a mortar in El Amreeyeh.  A Syrian opposition fighter aims a sniper rifle at government forces in Aleppo on Wednesday, August 29.  Syrian opposition fighters swear an oath for the liberation of Syria in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Free Syrian Army fighters carry a wounded member into a hospital in Aleppo on Tuesday, August 28.  Free Syrian Army rebels dodge fire from Syrian forces as they run down a street in Aleppo on Tuesday.  A rebel fighter takes cover during clashes Tuesday with government forces in Aleppo.  An opposition fighter fires at government forces from a street in Aleppo.  Residents walk past buildings damaged in what activists said was an airstrike by the Syrian air force on Kafranbel, near Idlib.  Doctors treat a wounded girl at a hospital in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, on Tuesday.  Residents look over the bodies of people killed in the violence Tuesday.  Civilians flee the violence from the Damascus suburb of Kafr Batna.  A man reacts as an ambulance arrives with the body of a Free Syrian Army fighter outside a hospital in Aleppo.  A paramedic and another man cover the body of a Free Syrian Army fighter outside a hospital in Aleppo.  Smoke rises in the Damascus suburb of Ain Terma during clashes between Syrian rebels and pro-government forces.  A boy rides a bicycle toward fuel trucks struck by missiles from fighter jets in the Bab al-Nayrab district of Aleppo, Syria, on Monday, August 27.  Fuel tankers smoke and smolder after being struck by missiles in Aleppo on Monday.  Syrian army fighters discuss a new tactic to push the front lines in the Seif El Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Monday.  A Free Syrian Army sniper takes his position in Seif El Dawla on Monday.  Men arrested for their involvement in anti-regime protests wait to be released in Damascus on Monday. The official Syrian news agency reported that authorities released 378 people detained for their participation in street protests, adding that those freed were never involved in acts of violence.  Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover in the old city of Aleppo on Monday.  A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by an army air raid, near Homs on Sunday, August 26.  Rebel fighters run for cover during continued clashes with government forces in Aleppo on Saturday, August 25.  Rebel fighters fire in the streets against pro-Syrian government forces.  A street in Aleppo is covered in rubble from heavy fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces.  A picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency shows Syrian soldiers carrying the body of an alleged rebel fighter in Aleppo.  A handout picture released by SANA shows army soldiers burning a revolution flag in Aleppo.  A rebel fighter communicates to his commanders during ongoing fighting in Aleppo's Mashhad neighborhood.  Residents line up along a street in Aleppo as they wait to receive free bread.  Displaced Syrian familes sit in a shelter at the border with Turkey after fleeing their homes from violence.  A Syrian boy whose family has been displaced due to fighting between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces stands in a field near the border with Turkey.  A boy receives treatment for wounds he received during an airstrike by a regime forces helicopter in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on Friday, August 24. Government forces blitzed areas in and around Syria's largest city, activists said, as Western powers sought to tighten the the reins on embattled President Bashar al-Assad's regime.  A Free Syrian Army fighter takes aim at regime forces during clashes in Aleppo.  A young boy runs across the street during clashes between Free Syrian Army fighters and forces loyal to al-Assad.  A Syrian man reacts outside an operation room as doctors treat his grandchildren after an airstrike by regime forces.  A Syrian boy receives treatment after he was wounded by shells from a government helicopter that hit his house.  Family and friends look for the bodies of a woman and her two daughters killed by an airstrike on Sunday, August 19. See more photos from Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, who has spent a total of about five months covering different parts of Syria since 2011.  People gather around the bodies of an entire family killed by the airstrike the day before on Friday, August 17, in front of a hospital.  Two children are treated for shrapnel wounds at a hospital on Thursday, August 16.  Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district on August 22.  A Syrian rebel fighter holds a handmade bomb in the Saif al-Dawla district in the center of Aleppo on August 22.  Syrian rebels run for cover during heavy fighting in the Saif al-Dawla district in the center of Aleppo on August 22.  Members of the Free Syrian Army take up positions as smoke rises in the background during clashes with Syrian army soldiers on August 22.  A member of the Free Syrian Army aims his rifle as he uses doors as a shield on August 22.  Members of the Free Syrian Army take cover during clashes with Syrian Army soldiers on August 22.  A Syrian rebel fires towards a pro-government sniper in the Said al-Dawla district of Aleppo on August 22.  Smoke rises from Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district after what activists say was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on August 21.  Mourning relatives gather at the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter killed during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo on August 21.  Syrian rebel fighters stand around a cache of homemade missiles which they say they will use on forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on August 21.  The father of Amar Ali Amero, a Free Syrian Army fighter who was reportedly killed by a sniper in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo, mourns during his funeral in Azaz, north of Aleppo, on August 21.  People pray during the funeral of the Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero on August 21.  A Member of the Free Syrian Army fires during clashes with Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, on August 20.  A skirmish in the street of Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district between members of the Free Syrian Army and Syrian army soldiers on August 20.  A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian Air Force air strike in Azaz on August 20.  Members of the Free Syrian Army prepare their weapons in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district on Monday, August 20.  Syrian bakers work in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, August 19, the first day of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.  In this image provided by Syria's national news agency, SANA, President Bashar al-Assad, center, is greeted by a cleric while attending Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Hamad mosque in Damascus on Sunday, August 19.  Members of the Free Syrian Army and residents try to extinguish a fire that they say was caused by shelling by forces loyal to al-Assad in the Damascus suburb of Saqba on Friday, August 17.  A Free Syrian Army fighter takes aim during clashes in Aleppo on Friday, August 17. For days, the northern Syrian city has been at the center of some of the worst fighting in the 18-month-old conflict.  A rebel fighter makes his way through a hole in a wall during fighting Friday in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.  A rebel climbs some stairs in a building during clashes in central Aleppo's Salaheddine neighborhood.  A rebel fighter runs for cover as a Syrian army tank shell hits a nearby building Friday in Aleppo. The opposition accuses Syrian forces of shelling flashpoint neighborhoods in Aleppo where rebels are making a stand.  Free Syrian Army fighters dress a mannequin to look like a fighter to draw gunfire away from them Friday in Aleppo.  Free Syrian Army fighters rest Friday in Aleppo during a lull in fighting.  A fighter with the rebel Free Syrian Army secures a street Friday in the Damascus suburb of Saqba. Fighting raged unabated Friday across Syria, while diplomats struggled to find a political solution.  Members of the Free Syrian Army try to secure a street Friday in Saqba.  The Free Syrian Army takes charge of a street in Saqba.  A rebel holds a rocket-propelled grenade Friday in the Damascus suburb.  A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an anti-aircraft gun at a Syrian air force helicopter in Aleppo on Thursday, August 16.  Free Syrian Army fighters carry the body of a fellow fighter during clashes Thursday in Aleppo. Government forces are pounding Syria's largest city in a siege that's become the focal point of the civil war.  A grief-stricken woman clutches her dead baby while her husband's body is covered up following a regime airstrike on Azaz, a town near Aleppo, on Wednesday, August 15.  Syrians search for people trapped under the rubble after the airstrike Wednesday in Azaz, near Aleppo.  A man removes his belongings from his destroyed car at the airstrike site.  A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle in Aleppo on Wednesday, August 15.  Syrians carry the body of a woman after an airstrike in Azaaz.  A Syrian man reacts after an airstrike in Azaaz.  Syrians flee Azaaz following the airstrike.   A Syrian youth holds the arm of someone trapped under rubble after an airstrike in the town of Azaaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo.  Black smoke billows into the air after a bomb exploded at a military site car park near a hotel used by United Nations monitors in Damascus. The explosion Wedesday wounded three people, Syrian state television said.  Firefighters work at the scene of a bomb explosion in central Damascus. The bomb was planted under a diesel tanker.  A man carries the body of a boy after a Syrian Air Force strike on Azaz, some 29 miles north of Aleppo.  A man sits in front of tombstone workshop in Aleppo.  Jordanian security guards patrol the entrance of the Zaatari refugee camp, located outside the northern Mafraq, Jordan, which borders Syria. Refugees face the hardships of sweltering heat, dust, lack of electricity and at times sexual harassment in this UN-run desert tent camp.  Jordanian security officers detain a Syrian man after he tried to escape from the Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq.  A Free Syrian Army fighter learns that his commander has been killed by a tank shell in Aleppo on Tuesday, August 14. Opposition activists say shelling in dissident strongholds has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the country.  Free Syrian Army fighters look at the body of their commander killed by a tank shell Tuesday in Aleppo.  A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his rifle in Aleppo on Tuesday.  Syrian rebels fire toward a sniper in Aleppo on Monday, August 13, as fighting continues against Syrian government forces.  A rebel fighter fires at government forces Monday in Aleppo's Salaheddin neighborhood.  A Syrian rebel climbs a staircase in Aleppo's Salaheddin district as the opposition battles the regime.  A man gives bags of bread to customers at a bakery run by the opposition Free Syrian Army in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.  Rebels covered in dust and debris emerge from a building hit by an army tank shell Monday in Aleppo's Salaheddin area.  A rebel fighter gestures toward others after emerging from a shelled building during fighting Monday with government forces.  A Free Syrian Army sniper looks through the sight on his rifle from a house in Aleppo on Monday.   Free Syrian Army fighters walk down a debris-covered street Monday in central Aleppo's Salaheddine neighborhood.  A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an RPG as a Syrian army tank shell hits a building across a street during heavy fighting in central Aleppo on Saturday, August 11.  A Free Syrian Army fighter sits on a window sill as he holds an AK-47 rifle in central Aleppo.  A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his rifle during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an RPG after a Syrian army tank shell hit a building during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  A Free Syrian Army fighter tries to fix his jammed rifle during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a damaged building during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  A Free Syrian Army fighter aims an RPG as he waits for Syrian army tanks in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  A Free Syrian Army fighter walks on an empty street in the Salaheddine neighborhood.  Free Syrian Army members check a confiscated cache of weapons found on a truck that was searched at a checkpoint in Dana.  A rebel fighter fires an anti-aircraft gun during a regime airstrike on Tel Rafat, a village north of Aleppo, on Thursday, August 9. The Syrian government and rebel groups have been battling for control of Aleppo, a key front in the conflict that has morphed into a civil war.  A Syrian air force fighter plane fires during an airstrike Thursday in Tel Rafat, north of Aleppo. Forces loyal to the regime have been shelling Aleppo, Syria's largest city.  A truck burns after apparently being hit by rockets during an airstrike on Tel Rafat.  Men carry the body of a boy killed in an airstrike in the village of Tel Rafat.  A boy's body is uncovered in the rubble of a house demolished during the recent clashes in Tel Rafat.  A man steps on a carpeted image of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Anadan, northwest of Aleppo, on Wednesday, August 8. The fighting has taken a toll on al-Assad's regime, which has been hit by assassinations and political and military defections.  Residents sift through rubble Wednesday searching for bodies under a collapsed house destroyed in an airstrike.  Syrian refugees bathe Wednesday at Al Zaatri U.N. camp in the Mafraq, Jordan, near the border with Syria. The recent shelling has led thousands of residents to flee Syria.  Syrian refugees cook a meal at Al Zaatari camp in Mafraq, Jordan.  A Syrian rebel prepares his weapon as a group of Free Syrian Army fighters head toward the fighting with Syrian Army soldiers in the Salah ad-Din neighborhood of central Aleppo on Sunday, August 5.  Syrians evacuate a civilian wounded in shelling in the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, August 4. Syria's armed forces pounded Aleppo's rebel-held Salah ad-Din district with air and ground fire as violence also raged in the Shaar and Sukkari districts, according to reporters in the area and a rebel commander.  A vehicle burns as Syrians walk through debris from clashes between Syrian armed forces and rebels in the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, August 4.  A boy plays on the gun of a destroyed Syrian army tank partially covered in the rubble of the destroyed Azaz mosques, north of the restive city of Aleppo, on Thursday, August 2.  Smoke rises from Al-Safsaf in Homs on Friday, August 3.  A boy plays with an AK-47 rifle owned by his father in Azaz, some 29 miles north of Aleppo on Friday, August 3.  Syrians climb on an abandoned Syrian army tank north of Aleppo on Thursday, August 2.  A man looks at a destroyed Syrian army compound in Azaz, 29 miles north of Aleppo on Friday, August 3.  A Syrian refugee walks at the Al Zaatri refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, on Friday, August 3.  People and a member of the Free Syrian Army commute on Wednesday, August 1, past a building on the outskirts of Idlib that was hit by rocket fire Tuesday night by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Unrest spread across other volatile regions of the country as al-Assad's forces shelled targets and launched raids in and around Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Deir Ezzor.  A woman and child on Wednesday walk through rubble of a building destroyed by shelling from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo.  Demonstrators hold an opposition flag during a protest Wednesday against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.  Syrian girls on Wednesday walk past a Syrian army tank captured two days earlier by rebel fighters at a checkpoint in the village of Anadan. The strategic checkpoint secures the rebel fighters free movement between the northern city of Aleppo and Turkey.  Rebel Free Syrian Army fighters capture a policeman who they allege is a "Shabiha" or pro-regime militiaman, on Tuesday, July 31, as the rebels overrun a police station in Aleppo.  Rebel fighters load an anti-aircraft machine gun on an armored vehicle in Atareb, east of Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, on Tuesday, July 31.  Syrian boys run near a building hit by bullets and fire in Atareb.  A member of the Free Syrian Army fires at forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad in a district of Aleppo called Salah Edinne on Tuesday.  A member of the Free Syrian Army carries an injured civilian to safety in Aleppo's district of Salah Edinne on Tuesday.  Members of the Free Syrian Army learn that a tank belonging to forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad is heading to the area.  A Syrian boy carries bags of bread as people wait outside a bakery near Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo.  A photo released by Syrian Arab News Agency depicts damaged buildings in Homs on Monday, July 30.  A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position Sunday, July 29, in Aleppo as people flee shelling. Intense clashes have been under way for more than a week between the regime and rebels in Aleppo, Syria's commercial and cultural center.  Parts of Syria's largest city saw the fiercest clashes yet in the country's 16-month crisis on Saturday, July 28. About 200,000 people have fled fighting in Aleppo and surrounding areas in the past two days, a U.N. official says.  Fighting leaves vehicles damaged Saturday in the southwestern city of Daraa.  Syrians carry the body of a man allegedly killed in the bombardment of Sukari, southwest of Aleppo, by Syrian regime forces on July 27.  Destruction appears widespread in Homs on Friday, July 27, in a handout photo from the Syrian opposition Shaam News Network.  A Syrian opposition fighter takes aim during clashes with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Wednesday, July 25.  Family and friends mourn over the body of Usame Mircan, who they say was killed by a Syrian government sniper in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Usame Mircan's mother grieves after he was killed during fighting in Aleppo.  The bodies of men killed during clashes between Syrian rebel fighters and goverment forces lie on the Aleppo street on Thursday, July 26.  Fighters from the Syrian opposition rest at a former primary school in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Residents take cover as fighters from the Syrian opposition clash with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Syrian rebels guard a checkpoint in Aleppo on Wednesday.  A damaged portrait of President Bashar al-Assad sits among piles of debris at a checkpoint manned by Syrian rebels in Aleppo on Wednesday.  Syrian rebels drive through Selehattin near Aleppo during clashes with government forces on Monday, July 23.  A Syrian rebel runs through the streets of Selehattin during an attack on a municipal building. The rebel Free Syrian Army says it is attempting to "liberate" several districts of Aleppo.  Syrian rebels work to find snipers during clashes Monday between the opposition and government forces in Selehattin.  Syrian rebels make their way down a street Monday in Selehattin near Aleppo. If they gain control of Aleppo, it would mark a pivotal point in the Syrian crisis.  Syrian rebels take cover behind sandbags during fighting Monday at the entrance to the city of Selehattin.  On Sunday, July 22, a Syrian refugee looks out from a bus as he arrives at a refugee camp in Turkey opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa.  Syrian refugees flee from a refugee camp nicknamed "Container City" on the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, southern Turkey, on Sunday.   Smoke from artillery shelling rises above Jbatha Al-khashab.  An armed Syrian rebel wearing the jersey of FC Barcelona rests with comrades near the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday. The rebel Free Syrian Army announced the start of the battle to "liberate" Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub and a traditional bastion of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.    In this photo released by the Shaam News Network, a truck burns after shelling in the Erbeen suburb of Damascus on Saturday, July 21.  Refugees fleeing the violence in Syria arrive by bus in Baghdad, Iraq, on Saturday.  Turkish soldiers stand guard at the Cilvegozu border gate in Reyhanly that connects to Syria's Bab al-Hawa post. An estimated 120,000 people have fled Syria to Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.  Burned-out trucks at the Bab al-Hawa Syrian border post with Turkey on Friday, July 20. Syrian rebels seized control of the post after a fierce battle with Syrian troops, an AFP photographer at the scene reported.  Syrian soldiers celebrate in the al-Midan area in Damascus on Friday. Syrian regime forces routed rebel fighters from the Damascus neighbourhood of Midan, Syrian state television reported, saying troops had "cleaned" the district of "terrorists."  Journalists are shown a dead body on a government tour of the al-Midan area in Damascus on Friday.  Members of Syria security forces rest in the al-Midan area in Damascus on Friday.  Syrian army soldiers hang their national flag in a partially destroyed neighborhood in the al-Midan area in Damascus.  Smoke hangs in the air in a partially destroyed neighborhood in the al-Midan area in Damascus.  Members of Syria security forces pose for photographers in the al-Midan area in Damascus after driving out the rebel fighters.  Syrian residents take goods from a truck that rebels captured at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey on Friday.  A picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on July 19 shows Syrian General Fahd al-Freij meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus after his swearing-in ceremony as defense minister.  A man holds up a picture of President Bashar al-Assad at a former police station in Atareb after clashes between Syrian soldiers and Free Syrain Army near Aleppo on Thursday, July 19. Rebels seized control of border crossings with Iraq on Thursday, dealing a new blow to al-Assad, as China and Russia dismayed the West by blocking U.N. action against his regime.  People walk along the street in Atareb amidst damage caused by clashed between Syrian soldiers and the Free Syrian Army.  A Syrian man checks the former police station of Syrian regime after a clash at Atareb on Thursday.  Smoke ascends from from alleged shelling of the Syrian village of Jebata al-Khashab as seen from the hill village of Buqaata in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Thursday.  The death toll in Syria on July 12 reached 287, making it the bloodiest day in Syria since the uprising began. As it has done consistently, Syrian state television blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the killings.  A Syrian woman sits with her grandson outside a damaged building after attacks in the Syrian village of Treimsa on July 13, 2012. More than 200 people were massacred in the town, according to activists.  A Syrian demonstrator holds an opposition flag during a protest in Damascus on July 2, 2012. There have been increasing reports of violence in the Syrian capital.  Syria's President Bashar al-Assad waves as he arrives for a speech to Syria's parliament in Damascus on June 3, 2012. The embattled president denied that government forces were behind the "outrageous" massacre in Houla.  People gather at a mass burial on May 26, 2012 for victims reportedly killed during an artillery barrage from Syrian forces in Houla. The attack left at least 108 people dead, including nearly 50 children, according to the United Nations.  Members of the Free Syrian Army return to Qusayr on May 12, 2012 after an attack on Syrian regime forces in the village of Nizareer, near the Lebanese border in Homs.  A U.N. observer speaks with Syrian rebels and civilians in the village of Azzara on May 4, 2012, days before the country's parlianemtary polls were held against a backdrop of unrest.  Thousands of Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, right, during a rally to show support for their leader on March 29, 2012 in Damascus.  Syrian rebel fighters man a checkpoint leading into the town of Taftanaz in the rebel stronghold province of Idlib on March 20, 2012.  A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his steed in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, 2012, a year after the uprising began. The Free Syrian Army is an armed opposition group made up largely of military defectors.  Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14, 2012. International mediator Kofi Annan called for an immediate halt to the killing of civilians in Syria as he arrived in Turkey for talks on the crisis.  A day after the twin suicide bombings, Syrian mourners pray over the coffins of the 44 people killed during a mass funeral in Damascus.  A Syrian man who was wounded in a suicide attack rests at a hospital in Damascus on December 23, 2011. Suicide bombers hit two security service bases in the Syrian capital, killing dozens of people.  Arab foreign ministers attend an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on October 16, 2011, to discuss the crisis in Syria.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media in Washington on August 18, 2011. Clinton said U.S. sanctions on Syrian oil "strike at the heart of the Syrian regime."  Syrian youths wave national flags while army troops drive out of Daraa on May 5, 2011. During a week-long military lockdown of the town, dozens of people were reportedly killed in what activists described as "indiscriminate" shelling on the city.  Syrians in Damascus protest in the street on March 25, 2011, after clashes with government forces in Daraa left several dead.  Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rally on April 1 in Istanbul, Turkey, as delegates from dozens of countries gather to push for ways to end the deadly violence in Syria. The United Nations estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the crisis in March 2011. The conflict is now being labeled a civil war by the International Committee of t he Red Cross.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
(CNN) -- Syrians woke up to heavy shelling and raging gunfire Thursday, opposition activists said. And as attacks continue, aid groups are seeking funds to help the soaring numbers of refugees fleeing the conflict. Here are the latest developments in the Syrian civil war: On the ground: gunfire, shelling intensify Regime forces unleashed raging gunfire and heavy shelling in neighborhoods in Hama, Lattakia and Aleppo, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. At least 22 people have died in attacks nationwide Thursday, according to the LCC.   Civil war 'intense as ever' in Homs  Three cities, one war, thousands dead  Syrian refugees living in olive orchards A day before, the death toll hit 343, the highest since the unrest started last year, an opposition group said. "The regime is escalating the violence at every possible opportunity and it is proof that it is determined to crush the revolution by any means necessary," said Rafif Jouejati, a spokeswoman for the Local Coordination Committees of Syria. The second-deadliest day was August 25, when 330 people were killed, according to the opposition group. Syria, meanwhile, said authorities "stormed a terrorists' hideout" in Hama and seized weapons, including Russian rifles. "On Wednesday evening, authorities destroyed a number of cars for the terrorists which were loaded with weapons and ammunition near al-Zohouri Mosque in al-Qseir city in Homs province," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Four Syrian guards were "martyred," and 14 people -- including members of the military and civilians -- were injured in two "terrorist bombings" Wednesday in Damascus, SANA said. Diplomatic efforts: more monetary aid The United Nations and about 50 other humanitarian organizations are seeking $487.9 million to support Syrian refugees. The effort is being led by the U.N. refugee agency, and the funds will go toward the soaring number of refugees flocking to Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. There are 294,000 Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration in neighboring countries, the agency said. Refugee numbers could skyrocket as displaced live in squalor The number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries could reach 700,000 by the end of the year, the U.N. refugee agency said Thursday.  Syrian kids' reality stark, shocking  Two huge explosions rock Damascus In March, the United Nations estimated a potential total of 100,000 becoming refugees by the end of the year, but that figure was surpassed in July. The new projection indicates the worsening situation on the ground. In northern Syria, people fleeing the war endure filthy conditions at an impromptu encampment. Thousands of Syrians are being turned back at Turkey's border because the nation says facilities are overfilled. Children scavenge in surrounding fields for twigs to use for cooking fires as women line up next to a water tank pumping milky, chalky water presumed to give the displaced people diarrhea. Many of the residents told similar stories of rockets and airstrikes pummeling their villages and towns, forcing them to flee. Background The Syrian crisis broke out in March 2011 after unarmed protesters, inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, took to the streets demanding political reform and an end to four decades of rule by the family of President Bashar al-Assad. The movement devolved into an armed conflict after a brutal and continuing crackdown by regime forces. Since the unrest began, more than 30,000 people have been killed, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. CNN's Ivan Watson contributed to this report.   |
9/27/2012
Call for refugee aid grows
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