Syrian army forces pushed back an armed group near Homs on Saturday as they were trying to gain control of a main highway leading to the flashpoint city.

A number of militants were injured in the clashes.

Syrian troops also confiscated ammunitions and bomb-making materials from a makeshift facility used by the militants in the city.

The Syrian government is reportedly holding talks with foreign-backed armed groups over their withdrawal from a number of militant-controlled neighborhoods surrounding Homs.

“Talks to rid the city of arms and of armed men... are ongoing and we are near the end,” said Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi on Saturday.

Only a handful of neighborhoods around the Old City of Homs remain in the hands of Takfiris following a series of army operations that started in February 2012 to liberate the area.

The talks with militants come as part of efforts to facilitate access to the people trapped in conflict zones.

Takfiri militants operating in Syria are reportedly hindering the process of aid provision inside the country.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. Reports say over 150,000 people have so far been killed and millions displaced because of the foreign-backed violence in the Arab state.

HH/HH