In Saturday operations, vigilant government troops eliminated 11 insurgents affiliated with the notorious al-Nusra Front terrorist group in Khan Sheikhoun area of Idleb countryside, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

This is while an army unit targeted insurgent hideouts in Murek town in the outskirts of Hama, killing and injuring numerous armed militants and destroying their armed vehicles.

Citing a military source, SANA added that the operation also led to the killing of the leader of the so-called Jabhat al-Islam terrorist group Khaled Sarhan al-Jasem as well as a Nusra Front commander identified as Ahmad Ibrahim al-Kadeh.

According to the source, other army units killed 19 more insurgents and injured a number of others in al-Kanafiz village in Salamiyeh countryside and destroyed their weaponry and ammunition.

The development comes amid reports that Syrians across the war-ravaged nation are gearing up for the June 3 presidential election as they take part in numerous rallies across the nation, waving Syrian flag and expressing support for the government and the country’s military forces for their continuing vigilance and operations against armed insurgents in a bid to flush out the entire terrorist force from the key Arab country.

MB/MB