Syrian army forces kill 13 senior militants near capital

Iran Press TV

Wed Sep 9, 2015 9:20AM

Syrian army forces have killed more than a dozen senior foreign-sponsored militants during a full-scale operation in an area on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.

Abu Mohammed al-Fateh, leader of the terrorist Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, said 13 top members of the Takfiri alliance, including a militant commander known by the nom de guerre Abu Amer al-Kafersousani, was killed as Syrian troopers staged an ambush on the militants in Dariya – a war-torn western suburb of Damascus, Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Ahed news website reported.

Meanwhile, Syrian army soldiers, backed by fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, have taken control of al-Mas district in the strategic city of Zabadani which is situated approximately 45 kilometers (27 miles) northwest of capital, Damascus, following fierce clashes with Takfiri militants.

Separately, Syrian soldiers killed an unspecified number of militants from Jaish al-Fatah (the Army of Conquest) as the terrorist group sought to mount an offensive against Abu al-Duhur military airbase in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.

A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said army forces also destroyed a vehicle rigged with explosives before it could reach the entrance gate of the airbase, Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported.

On Tuesday, Syrian troopers destroyed a workshop used for making improvised explosive devices and mortar shells in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus. Several foreign-backed terrorists were killed in the operation.

Additionally, Syrian forces stormed a militant hideout in al-Kabir village, which lies 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Latakia, killing 24 terrorists, among them foreign nationals.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed more than 240,000 lives up until now, according to reports.

The United Nations says the militancy has displaced more than 7.2 million Syrians internally, and compelled over four million others to take refuge in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Lebanon.