The medics said on Tuesday that most of the dead bodies belonged civilians including women and children who have been killed in ambushes carried out by terrorists groups around the city of Latakia.

Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and Levant has been blamed for massacre of civilians in several villages after they tried to make a base for the terrorist group in west of Syria.

Syrian army extended its operations in Latakia and successfully pushed them back from most of the province in July after terrorists intensified their attacks on the port city.

On Monday, the Syrian army recaptured the villages of Hambousheyah, al-Ballouta and Sheikh Nabhan in the strategic province.

Military officials say they are now getting closer to the Salma village, which is the last bastion of Takfiri extremists in the region.

Latakia was a relatively more secure area since the massive foreign-backed insurgency started in March 2011 in Syria.

The Latakia is still considered as a stable area and most of the clashes are occurring in the surrounding towns and villages.

Syria has been struggling with a foreign-backed insurgency, most supported by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Israel and United States, which started in 2011 after pro-reform protests turned into a massive war by infiltration of foreign extremists.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million displaced due to the foreign-backed militancy in Syria.

SHI/BA