Syrian civilians caught between rebels and Assad

Residents in the Syrian city of Aleppo try to get on with their daily lives.

That's no easy task as rebel gunmen and pro-government fighters use the commercial hub as a battleground.

Free Syrian Army rebels control some parts of the city, but struggle to wrest control of pockets from security forces elsewhere.

Trying to gain popular support, rebels direct traffic where there are power outages and ferry citizens to work to avoid the sights of government snipers.

This rebel says embattled President Bashar al-Assad could renew the shelling of Aleppo any minute, which would be a catastrophe for residents caught in the crossfire.

Syria has been plunged into communications darkness after the internet was cut on Thursday.

Mobile and land line networks have also been disrupted.

The Syrian government said "terrorists" had attacked internet lines.

Opposition leaders believe Assad was behind the outage that prevents the uploading of videos showing raids and violence as the country's civil war rages on.