Syrian activists say regime forces are shelling districts of Aleppo as fierce clashes continue on the ground for control of the key northern city, according to AP.

Aleppo-based activist Mohammed Saeed says the shelling is most intense in the southwestern neighborhoods of Salaheddine and Saif al-Dawla, some of the first areas seized by the rebels when they started last week a push to take over the city after being routed from the capital Damascus.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported heavy fighting and explosions in Aleppo Sunday, July 29.

The government said security agents were hunting down armed groups in Salaheddine.

The state-run news agency SANA quoted an Aleppo official as saying that troops would continue to pursue "terrorists" until the city is "purged" of armed groups.