Syria army kills 57 militants in Idlib, Homs: Source

Syrian army forces have killed 57 foreign-backed Takfiri militants during their mop-up operations against armed groups in the cities of Idlib and Homs, a military source says.

According to the military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Monday, the Syrian troops stormed the militants’ hideouts in Bennish, in the countryside of the northwestern city of Idlib, killing 27 of them.

Elsewhere, in al-Rasta, in the countryside of the western city of Homs, 30 militants were killed during clean-up operations by the government troops.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian army regained control of a dozen villages on the road between Qamishli and Tal Hamis near the Turkish border.

The victory came after the army conducted mop-up operations in the area, killing several militants and seizing their weapons.

On Sunday, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, known as YPG, regained control of Tal Hamis.

The Kurdish fighters retook the town following fierce fighting with al-Qaeda-linked militants, who had heavily occupied the area.

In recent weeks, the Syrian army has made major advances in its fight against the armed groups.

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

A recent British defense study showed that about 100,000 militants, fragmented into 1,000 groups, are fighting in Syria against the government and people.

The extracts of the study by defense consultancy IHS Jane’s were published on September 16, 2013.

IHS Jane’s estimates that some 10,000 militants are fighting for groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the rest fight for different militant groups.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the foreign-backed militancy.