On Oct. 20, photographer Javier Manzano followed a group of Syrian rebels in the city of Aleppo and found himself in a 15-meter stretch of road terrorized by a sniper. Across the street, a man had just been hit in the shoulder. The man faced an agonizing choice: run toward the rest of the rebels or wait for someone to help him find a way out of the sniper's range.
The FSA soldiers around me began to communicate with him, telling him to put his head down and wait as they tried to have a vehicle drive past him (and past the line of sniper fire).
The plan was to have the downed man crawl or sprint towards the waiting vehicle. It failed.
A taxi drove past the wounded man, slowed down and reversed onto the side of the road. The sniper immediately shot three rounds. Aiming high at first, the message was clear: Anyone who helps this man will die.
The victim decided to run, but was shot again while attempting to reach the rebels, this time in front of Manzano's camera. The rebels formed a human chain, pulled the man from the sidewalk and took him to the hospital. It was unclear if he survived.
Take a look at Manzano's photos in the slideshow below.
Sniper Alley
AFP/Getty reports the same sniper shot at least three civilians on the road in the hours preceding Manzano's incident.
Syrian rebels and government troops have been fighting for control over Aleppo for months. The Associated Press reported Monday that the city was one of several targeted by a massive bombing campaign by the Syrian army. Activist say more than 500 people have died since Friday, despite the declaration of a four-day truce on Oct. 25.
More than 35,000 people have died in Syria's 19-month long conflict, activists estimate.