ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION<br/> <br />Closed shops, destroyed buildings and silence is what defined the scene in Syria's old city of Aleppo on Tuesday (October 16).<br/> <br />Rebel forces walked around the old city checking roads, surrounding a city which has witnessed heavy fighting between rebels and state forces.<br/> <br />The uprising-turned-civil war that is now raging across Syria has killed more than 30,000 people, according to activist groups such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.<br/> <br />But beyond the dramatic human cost, many of Syria's historic treasures have also fallen victim to a 19-month-old conflict that has reduced parts of some cities to ruins.<br/> <br />An ancient mosque in Aleppo's old city was badly damaged on Monday when fighting between rebels and government forces set fire to the building.<br/> <br />The mosque's medieval arches were charred, its elaborate wooden panels smashed and metal filigree lanterns lay broken in the courtyard.<br/> <br />"This is the Omawi Mosque. The situation on the ground is bad. The whole world is deaf and is not watching, we need ammunition", said a rebel commander.<br/> <br />Syria's divided rebels have agreed to set up a joint leadership to oversee their battle to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, two insurgent sources said on Tuesday as fighting raged in cities across the country.<br/> <br />Rebels hope the decision, taken after increasing pressure from foreign supporters on them to unite, will help convince those backers that they are a credible and co-ordinated fighting force deserving to be supplied with more powerful weapons.
