Syrians hold rallies in support of Assad government

Thousands of Syrians have held demonstrations across the country to express their support for the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The rallies were held on Sunday in the suburbs of the capital Damascus and in the provinces of Homs and Latakia.

Carrying posters of President Assad and national flags, the protesters chanted slogans in support of the army, which has been battling foreign-backed militants operating in Syria.

The demonstrators also denounced the intervention of foreign powers in Syria’s internal affairs.

On Saturday, similar rallies were held in Damascus and provinces of Aleppo, Hama, Hasaka, Homs, and Latakia.

The demonstrations in Syria came after the second round of talks between delegations representing the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition groups in the Swiss city of Geneva deadlocked on Saturday with both sides sticking to their positions.

The Syrian delegation said fighting terrorism should be the top priority while the so-called Syrian National Council insisted that the formation of a transitional government and resignation of President Assad must come first.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Some sources say more than 130,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.