Activists: Heavy fighting in Syria's largest city

Associated Press — Activists say Syrian troops and rebels are fighting some of the fiercest battles in the northern city of Aleppo.

The clashes Friday are part of a new push by the rebels to drive regime forces out of Syria's largest city and commercial capital.

Aleppo-based activist Baraa al-Halabi says some of the heaviest battles are taking place in a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood in Aleppo.

The major rebel group in the city — the Tawhid Brigade — says on its Facebook page that its members have entered the Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood to fight pro-government Kurdish gunmen there.

Meanwhile, state-run Syrian TV says government troops repulsed an attack on the neighborhood with the help of its residents.

Aleppo, a city of 3 million, was once a bastion of support for President Bashar Assad.