Syrian troops kill dozens of insurgents in Aleppo

Syrian Army soldiers have killed dozens of foreign-backed insurgents fighting government forces in the flashpoint city of Aleppo.

A number of armed men were killed during intense clashes with Syrian troops in the Bab Qinnasrin neighborhood of the city, located 355 kilometers (220 miles) north of Damascus, on Tuesday, the SANA news agency reported.

Syrian troops also destroyed a pickup truck and a taxi used by militants during the clashes.

Syrian soldiers also launched an offensive against insurgents in another area of Aleppo, killing a large number of them.

Foreign militants, among them Pakistani citizen Jacky Sharif and Afghan citizen al-Muntasir Billah, who is also known as al-Fakih, were killed during the mop-up operation.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011.

Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and accuses Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey of arming the opposition.