The Syrian army launched attacks against militants in the provinces of Damascus, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Homs, Idlib, Latakia and Daraa on Tuesday and killed a large number of them, the official SANA news agency reported.

In addition, the Syrian armed forces captured a large quantity of weapons, including many heavy machineguns, rocket launchers and explosive devices.

Army units destroyed several cars equipped with heavy machineguns in Idlib and Latakia provinces.

Also in Idlib, a military source said that the army destroyed a 300-meter-long tunnel used by the militants to transfer and store weapons and ammunition in the area of Maarat al-Numan.

In a Daraa countryside, government troops said they killed 28 militants.

The Syrian army has recently conducted successful clean-up operations across the country, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.

Recent investigations by various media outlets have found that the militants are taking amphetamine stimulants to stay on their feet in exhausting battles against Syrian government forces.

Al-Qaeda-linked groups are also said to be using stimulant drugs extensively as they launch many attacks at night and are engaged in gruesome battles.

In an interview with Argentina’s Clarin newspaper in May 2013, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said militants from 29 different countries were fighting against the government in different parts of the country.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence.

BA/BA