ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Syria's army seized an area north of Aleppo on Sunday (December 14) and killed insurgents as fierce battles raged over the strategic territory, a group monitoring the war and state media reported.
Syria's second city is at the heart of clashes between pro-government forces and a range of insurgents, including al Qaeda's Syria wing, Islamist brigades and Western-backed rebels.
Videos obtained from social media purported to show different rebel factions firing on Syrian army positions around Aleppo with machine gun and cannons.
Reuters is unable to independently verify the content of the video, which has been obtained from a social media website.
The United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura is seeking a local ceasefire in Aleppo to allow badly-needed humanitarian assistance into the divided northern city.
Insurgent-held districts have been flattened by Syrian air force bombardments, including barrel bombs - crude
