Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced in a report on Sunday that the large number of fatalities also include 650 civilians that were killed while caught  in the crossfire between rival insurgents from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in the north of the crisis-hit country.

The monitoring agency further reported that the names of 5,641 insurgents have been confirmed while the names of another 1,200 dead militants have not been verified.

It added that 2,196 of the Takfiri insurgents killed belonged to the ISIL, 2,764 belonged to the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and its allied groups fighting against the Syrian government and the remainder were members of other armed groups.

Clashes between the rival insurgent groups still continue despite an order by senior al-Qaeda leaders to stop the infighting.

Infighting has plagued the foreign-sponsored militant groups fighting the Syrian government as the army continues to gain more ground.

The army has recaptured most of the insurgent-held towns along the mountainous border with Lebanon since its November offensive began.

Syria has been gripped by a foreign-sponsored insurgency war since March 2011. An estimated 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the Western-backed militants.

The West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are reportedly giving financial and military support to the militants.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has recently said the Takfiri war in his country has strongly shifted in favor of government forces as they have made continuous gains in their fight against the terrorists.

MB/MB