Water system may be out in key Syrian city

Anti-government rebels in the Syrian city of Aleppo indicated Sunday the beleaguered town's water system had been knocked out of action. A blogger inside Aleppo posted a report that supported media reports a government airstrike had targeted water infrastructure in the city, which has been contested by both sides this summer. "My city is now thirsty, hungry and bloodied," said the anonymous post, which was re-posted by the British newspaper The Guardian. The report could not be independently verified. However it was no secret Sunday that the fighting in and around Aleppo was continuing. Rebels told The Guardian at least seven people had been killed Sunday. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said in a written statement that 160 people had been killed across Syria on Sunday. Activists based in Britain told The Guardian they knew of seven people killed Sunday in Aleppo. Among the casualties this weekend was Syrian-born German filmmaker Tamer Al-Awam, who returned to his homeland to document the rebellion and was killed by shrapnel in Aleppo. The Syrian government announced its troops had raided a vocational school in the Maysaloun area of Aleppo Sunday and freed "30 persons who were kidnapped by the armed terrorist groups." Troops said they killed five so-called terrorists in the raid, including snipers. The Damascus regime has characterized the rebels as being largely run by al-Qaida and other outside troublemakers.