Syrian forces managed to kill nearly 50 extremist militants, including two Saudi bombers, in the central province of Homs, reports say.
The army units targeted a group of militants who were planning a terrorist attack on military checkpoints in the western city of Hama, while 15 Takfiri elements were also killed in an army operation in the city of Douma, located in Rif Dimashq Province.
Meanwhile, Syrian troops destroyed a number of militant hideouts in the provinces of Dara’a and Homs, confiscating large quantities of arms, ammunition and satellite transmission devices.
On January 13, the Syrian army said in a statement that the country’s armed forces in cooperation with the National Defense Forces have gained complete control over al-Nakkarin, al-Zarzour, al-Taaneh, al-Subeihieh and Height 53 in the eastern countryside of Aleppo City.
The army operations come as heavy infighting among al-Qaeda-affiliated militants and other Takfiri groups in northern and eastern Syria has killed hundreds of people over the past weeks.
On January 15, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned the Takfiri militants and armed opposition groups against a “soaring” number of executions in Syria’s north, which could amount to war crimes.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to figures released by the United Nations, over 100,000 people have so far been killed and millions of others displaced due to the turmoil.
On January 16, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said Syria is experiencing the “biggest humanitarian crisis we face today.”
BA/BA