Syrian army inflicts heavy losses on foreign-backed terrorists

Foreign-sponsored militants in Syria continue to suffer heavy losses as the Syrian army troops have killed many gunmen during mop-up operations around the cities of Homs and Dara’a.

On Thursday, a number of militants were killed during intense clashes with Syrian soldiers in the city of Talbiseh, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) north of Homs, the official SANA news agency reported.

A unit of government forces also shot dead scores of armed men in the town of al-Dar al-Kabir.

Moreover, Syrian troops clashed with militants in the villages of al-Ghanto and al-Bowida al-Sharqiyah and the city of al-Rastan — located 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Homs, killing and injuring a number of them.

Clashes were reported in the districts of Wadi al-Sayeh, Bab Hood, Juret al-Shayah and al-Qarabis in Homs city, where many armed men were killed by the Syrian soldiers.

Syrian forces stormed terrorist hideouts in the village of Houla, located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Homs, on Thursday. Large amounts of weapons and munitions were also destroyed after the fierce clashes.

Separately, Syrian army forces drove back a group of militants who were attempting to launch an attack on a military checkpoint on the outskirts of the city of Dara’a, located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of the capital Damascus.

The gunmen tried to enter the checkpoint from three sides, but were repelled and forced to flee.

In addition, bomb disposal teams found and defused 19 remote-controlled improvised explosive devices, each weighing about 50 kilograms, on the road linking the northwestern town of Sarmin to the city of Idlib.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops seized a truck full of ammunition on the road between the villages of al-Qaryatein and al-Nasiriya in Homs province.

Turmoil has gripped Syria since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the unrest.