Rebel fighters clash with government forces in Syria

(Vatican Radio) Syrian government forces have captured several rebel-held districts in Damascus, as the rebels went on the offensive against government troops in the northern city of Aleppo. Rebel fighters clashed with government forces in at least a half dozen districts of Aleppo, with witnesses saying the rebels have been unable to gain much ground, and state TV claims heavy rebel casualties. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that clashes in Aleppo have engulfed much of the city and that government forces are shelling the rebels to prevent them from advancing. Listen to this report from regional correspondent Nathan Morley:

Especially heavy fighting is reported in a Kurdish district under government control. In the capital, government troops stormed three rebel-held districts. Tanks and armoured vehicles pushed into the areas as troops searched houses. The United Nations human rights council has expressed renewed concern about abuses by both government and rebel forces and extended the mandate of its war crimes inquiry by six months. Meanwhile, Iraq's foreign minister has proposed a two-stage plan to bring both sides of the Syrian conflict together to discuss a political transition. Hoshyar Zebari said he made the proposal at a ministerial meeting of 20 countries mainly opposed to the government of President Bashar Assad.