Syrian army continues battle against terrorists near Damascus

The Syrian army has once again engaged armed groups on the outskirts of Damascus and inflicted losses on the foreign-backed militants.

The official SANA news agency reported on Sunday that a number of militants were killed during intense clashes with Syrian troops in the city of Douma, situated about ten kilometers (six miles) northeast of the capital.

The Syrian forces also engaged gunmen in the farm fields between Douma and the city of Harasta, northeast of Damascus. In Harasta, the army defused several explosive devices in and around a gas station.

A unit of the Syrian army also killed a group of militants in the town of Zamalka, about four kilometers (2.5 miles) east of Damascus.

Several terrorist hideouts were raided by the Syrian forces during mop-up operations in the town of Erbin. Dozens of gunmen were killed in the process.

Many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the turmoil that erupted nearly two years ago.

On Sunday, the Syrian army seized communication devices, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-armor rockets, hand grenades and electric detonators used by militants near the town al-Nabek, located some 80 kilometers (49 miles) northeast of Damascus.

In an interview recently broadcast on German television, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the government did not start the conflict and that it was the militant groups who were killing Syrian people and destroying the country’s infrastructure.