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He was a child actor who rose to fame in Syria as the star of a black comedy about the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, bringing rare joy to its residents.

But the city is in mourning after it was reported on Monday that Qusai Abtini, 14, was killed by a missile as he tried to escape through the last road out of Aleppo before it was completely besieged by government forces.

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Qusai had been travelling with his father, who survived an attack last month during which their car was hit by four rockets.

The sitcom, Umm Abdo the Aleppan, was a light-hearted look at life in the conflict-ridden city, finding comedy as it showed residents dealing with cuts to power and water, factionalism, bombardments and violence. It was filmed in the cobbled streets of Old Aleppo, despite almost daily bombardment.

Photo by Uncredited / Bashar Sakka, Rasha

With his talent for comic timing and toothy grin, Qusai became a local celebrity. His life and death underscored the suffering of residents of Aleppo, once the commercial centre of Syria but now devastated by fighting.