Army troops carried out an operation in the Htaitit al-Turkman neighborhood near Damascus International Airport on Thursday and managed to regain full control over the area.

The Syrian soldiers also inflicted heavy losses on the foreign-sponsored militants operating in the neighborhood, killing a large number of them.

The army forces also continued their operation into the Shaba’a neighborhood, making the armed terrorist groups escape the area.

Meanwhile, other reports coming out of Syria indicate that fresh clashes broke out between the al-Qaeda-linked militants and the Kurdish fighters near the Syrian border with Iraq late on Wednesday.

According to reports, the Kurds advanced toward the al-Yaarubia border crossing, which constitutes a strategic supply route for arms and militants sneaking into Syria.

Over the past months, most Kurdish-dominated regions in the violence-stricken country have been the scene of clashes with extremist militants. The fighting has left many dead on both sides.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. More than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the foreign-backed turmoil, according to the United Nations.

Reports say Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside the Arab state.

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