Gunshots and screams envelop Aleppo neighborhood: Al Arabiya video

Fierce battles continued this week in Syria’s commercial city of Aleppo, where Al Arabiya gained access to one of the neighborhoods witnessing deadly violence, al-Amriya in central Aleppo.

Al-Amriya is one of the districts that has witnessed the most violence as it sits between areas claimed to be controlled by the Free Syrian Army, where the Al Arabiya crew visited, and other areas held by the Syrian regime forces.

“We will enter the district and aim to reach al-Ramosah highway, to control it. In this way, we’ll cut the route from the airport to al-Hamdaneya,” a Free Syrian Army fighter told Al Arabiya as they planned their attack.

“The army is 50 meters away from us over there,” another fighter said, huddled indoors and pointing out of a window-like opening in a darkened building in al-Amriya.

“They’re over there, look! That’s the point the army is closest to us,” he added.

The Al Arabiya correspondent touring the area was informed that a sniper from the Syrian army had once positioned himself atop one of the buildings in al-Amriya.

The Al Arabiya crew could not travel any further into the neighborhood, particularly into areas controlled by the regime.

“We are fighting with the local regime forces now, because they are attacking isolated civilians and we are trying to evacuate these civilians,” another fighter told Al Arabiya.

He added that some civilians return to al-Amriya to check on their homes.

“But the regime’s army does not differentiate between them. They don’t make any exceptions for civilians, be they women, children or the elderly,” the fighter said, in reference to attacks from regime forces.

“Within a few hours, we will control al-Ramosah highway, God willing. And we will continue our revolution until we win,” another fighter said, referring to the FSA’s hope to control older areas of Aleppo currently being controlled by the Syrian regime.

On Monday, the opposition’s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the neighborhoods of Bustan al-Qasr, al- Qartaji and Salahuddien in the city of Aleppo were subject to bombardment by government forces, which injured several people.

It said clashes also took place in al-Amriya neighborhood and that a civilian was killed and several others injured by bombardment on al-Bab city in the province.