Assad: Army enjoys people’s support

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says situation in the country is improving as army enjoys people’s support in the fight against terrorism.

Assad made the remarks on Sunday in Damascus while receiving a Lebanese delegation representing national parties and forces.

The Syrian president pledged to make Syria free from terrorism in all its forms.

He underlined that the government will make no reconciliation with terrorist groups and will sternly confront with them.

Meanwhile, the army inflicted more losses on foreign-backed militants on Sunday across the country.

State media reports said an operation in Damascus suburb destroyed weapons and ammunition and left unknown number of terrorists killed and wounded.

The Syrian Army units have conducted similar successful operations in Hama and Homs governorates over the past few days.

The Syrian troops have also seized four cars carrying a cache of weapons in the northwestern governorate of Idlib. Several militants were killed in clashes there.

The troops dismantled five Turkish-made anti-armor mines and captured thirteen explosive devices planted on the road between Khan Shekhun and Ma’art al-Nouman in Idlib governorate.

Government forces also inflicted heavy losses on armed groups near the shrine of Sayyida Zainab in the south of the capital Damascus.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the militants.

Several international human rights organizations have accused militants operating in Syria of committing war crimes.