Syrian troops kill dozens of insurgents on outskirts of Damascus

Syrian Army soldiers have killed dozens of foreign-sponsored insurgents fighting government forces during mop-up operations on the outskirts of Damascus.

Several al-Qaeda-linked snipers were killed during intense clashes between Syrian troops and members of a terrorist group in the al-Basel neighborhood of the town of Daraya, located 8 kilometers (5 miles) southwest of Damascus, on Saturday, the SANA news agency reported.

The gunmen had terrorized citizens, causing them to flee their homes, and destroyed public and private property.

Syrian troops seized a large amount of weapons and munitions after the battle.

Syrian soldiers also killed a number of insurgents near the arch of Daraya and seized various kinds of weapons, including sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, and machine guns, after the clashes.

In addition, a unit of Syrian forces attacked insurgents and killed a large number of them in the town of al-Zabadani.

Elsewhere, Syrian Army troops clashed with gunmen in the town of Beit Sahm and killed dozens of them.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.