Pakistan Taliban members killed near Syrian capital

Around 1,000 members of the Pakistani Taliban have been killed in clashes near the Syrian capital city of Damascus, reports say.

According to recent reports, the bodies of the Pakistani Taliban members, who were killed during battles around Syria’s International Airport near Damascus, have been buried in mass graves.

Reports further indicate that the families of those Pakistani Salafists sent into Syria have been staging demonstrations, calling on the Pakistani government to provide information on their whereabouts.

Many Salafists from Pakistan have been illegally sent into Syria through the Saudi and Qatari intelligence services.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

A recent UN report has revealed that militants from 29 countries have so far filtered into Syria to fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, most of whom are extremist Salafists.

Damascus says certain Western states, especially the United States, and their regional allies are fueling the unrest.