Civilians in the city of Aleppo, Syria turned three buses upright as a barricade to protect themselves from snipers, giving a fragile sense of security to a city divided between forces loyal to the government and rebels.

An estimated 220,000 people have been killed in the civil war in Syria. The conflict has also prompted millions of Syrians to flee to neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

The country has been ravaged by civil war, with the opposition and Syrian army battling for total control.

The conflict began as an anti-government uprising, with protesters taking to the streets on March 15, 2011, inspired by similar revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. But a fierce government crackdown on the demonstrations prompted a militarisation of the uprising and its descent into today's brutal conflict.