REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT OF THIS MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE<br/> <br />Rebel fighters open fire in the Syrian city of Aleppo, battling government troops for control of the commercial hub.<br/> <br />Videos posted online, which could not be independently verified by Reuters, appeared to show gunbattles across the city.<br/> <br />They emerged after rebels said on Thursday (September 27) a new offensive had been launched in Aleppo.<br/> <br />More footage appeared to show fighters in the city's Jadeeda Square.<br/> <br />The bloodshed in Syria has escalated since rebels took their fight to major cities.<br/> <br />For 18 months they have been trying to bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad.<br/> <br />More than 30,000 people have lost their lives in the violence, which has no end in sight.
