13 surprisingly serene images of Syrian rebels breaking from battle

Syria's bloody civil war will hit its two-year mark this March, and still, embattled despot Bashar al-Assad clings to power. The all-consuming war has left more than 70,000 people dead — half of them civilians. Sadly, violent conflict has become the new normal in much of Syria,  and it's often only while taking refuge behind Aleppo's crumbled, pock-marked walls that Free Syria Army fighters can indulge in fleeting moments of their previous lives. Have a look:

**

** 

**

**

** 

**

** 

**

**

**

**