Syrian filmmaker Tamer al-Awam killed in Aleppo: report (VIDEO)

Syrian filmmaker Tamer al-Awam has been killed in Aleppo, reported Agence-France Press, while government-led shelling there took dozens of lives today, according to Reuters. 

The UK-based opposition Syrian National Council said the 34-year-old, who is also a well-known Syrian poet and writer, has "lost one of its dear sons," according to AFP. 

Al-Awam was believed shot in Aleppo on Saturday while working on a film for the rebel Free Syrian Army and died of shrapnel wounds, AFP said, citing the Syrian Documents website. The rebels are currently locked in an 18-month long battle for control of the nation following uprisings against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. 

Many are mourning Al-Awam's death and praising his heroism for having left his safe home in Germany to come to Syria. A blogger for the Syrian "Walls" blog wrote: "I spent two evenings with Tamer a few months back, we talked about the revolution, we talked about the need to galvanize the efforts … Tamer, you have left a long-lasting impression, and now you leave a void."

Meanwhile, Syrian activists today said government warplanes shelled parts of Aleppo in response to rebels' takeover of an army barracks, violence that is believed to have left dozens dead today, said SKY News. 

Many Western countries have openly called on Assad to relinquish power in the face of an armed rebellion against his rule, but international efforts to end the conflict, where over a year of fighting has taken some 23,000 lives, have not succeeded. 

The Guardian's Syria liveblog linked to this video (warning: graphic), which purportedly shows efforts to revive al-Awam before he passed away: