1. 

   Nearly three years have passed since President Bashar Assad's forces gained full control of Aleppo, sweeping out rebels who had held the eastern half of the city through years of fighting. That victory made Aleppo _ Syria's largest city _ a symbol of how Assad succeeded with crucial assistance from Russia and Iran in turning the tide of the long civil war, clawing back most opposition-held territory in the country's heartland and ensuring Assad's survival. But Aleppo is equally a symbol of how Assad has been unable to secure full victory in the war or bring total security to Syria's people _ and appears unlikely to in the near future. (AP Photo)

2. 

   Syrian rebels still strike Aleppo, killing civilians nearly 3 years after government recaptured the city. (AP Photo)

3. 

   Half of Aleppo remains destroyed, much of its population is scattered, and deadly attacks like the July 24 mortar fire that killed Salam _ whose name means peace in Arabic _ are still common. (AP Photo)

4. 

   Syria's southern province of Daraa, recaptured by government troops in July last year, is becoming chaotic with assassinations and attacks against government forces inside what were once areas held by rebels. (AP Photo)

5. 

   In Aleppo, reconstruction has been limited. (AP Photo)

6. 

   Most of the eastern neighborhoods that were taken from rebels remain empty and destroyed. (AP Photo)

7. 

   Much of Aleppo's centuries-old covered market is still in ruins but slowly small parts of it have been renovated where business is slowly coming back to normal nearly three years after major battles in Syria's largest city and once commercial center came to an end. (AP Photo)