ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br /> <br />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.<br /> <br />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.<br /> <br />Videos obtained from social media purported to show different rebel factions firing on Syrian army positions around Aleppo with machine gun and cannons.<br /> <br />Reuters is unable to independently verify the content of the video, which has been obtained from a social media website.<br /> <br />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.<br /> <br />Insurgent-held districts have been flattened by Syrian air force bombardments, including barrel bombs - crude
