Syrian army troopers deal major blows to Takfiri militants

Army forces in Syria have carried out mop-up operations against foreign-backed militants across the conflict-ridden Arab country, inflicting heavy losses on them.

On Tuesday, a total of 36 terrorists were killed during intense clashes with Syrian troops in the different neighborhoods of the northwestern city of Idlib, located roughly 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital, Damascus, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported.

Syrian troopers also raided several terrorist hideouts on the outskirts of the city, destroying an unspecified number of vehicles belonging to the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front terrorist group.

In addition, the army engaged foreign-backed militants in the town of Zamalka, about four kilometers (2.5 miles) east of Damascus. Scores of gunmen were killed in the fighting.

Syrian troops also stormed a militant hideout in the southwestern city of al-Zabadani, which lies 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of the capital, and killed all the terrorists who had been holed up inside. A large amount of weapons and munitions was destroyed after the operation.

Moreover, Syrian soldiers backed by fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement killed five Takfiri militants on a road leading to al-Zabadani.

A unit of government forces also killed a number of militants near Tal al-Bouthaina district, which lies northeast of Syria’s southwestern city of Sweida, as the latter sought to infiltrate into the area.

Elsewhere in Syria, army troops clashed with Takfiri terrorists on the outskirts of the southwestern city of Dara’a, located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Damascus, killing scores of militants in the process.

Similar clashes broke out in the northern suburbs of Hama, located 213 kilometers (132 miles) north of the capital, where the Syrian forces killed a number of foreign-backed militants.

SANA made no reference to the government forces casualties.

The conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, has reportedly claimed more than 230,000 lives up until now.

The violence has also forced over 3.8 million Syrians to take refuge in neighboring countries, namely Jordan and Lebanon. More than 7.2 million others have been displaced within Syria, according to the UN.