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Syrian army kills 60 militants during broad offensive

Xinhua, October 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least 60 armed militants were killed Tuesday during the Syrian forces ground offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib, state news SANA reported.

The Syrian army carried out a "qualitative" operation in Jabal al-Zawiyeh region in the southern countryside of Idlib, killing 60 rebels of the Jaish al-Fateh militants, or the Conquer Army, and destroying 12 of their armored vehicles, said SANA.

SANA said foreign fighters were among the targeted rebels, including three Turks.

The Syrian army backed by the Russian airstrikes have unleashed a wide-scale offensive against the militant groups in several flashpoints, making notable gains, local media said.

Part of these battles are being fought in the northern countryside of the central province of Hama, adjacent to Idlib's countryside, much of which fell earlier this year to Jaish al-Fateh, an alliance of several rebel groups, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

Separately Tuesday, SANA said the Syrian air defenses shot down seven small drones over the government-controlled area of Izra in the countryside of the southern province of Daraa, close to the Jordanian borders.

The state news agency said the drones were stuffed with C4 explosives.

On Oct. 11, the military air force shot down nine drones over Izra, one of the remaining government strongholds in Daraa, the birthplace of the Syrian conflict nearly five years ago.

While the Syrian official media outlets boost the advancement of the Syrian army, activist monitor groups reported heavy attacks by the Islamic State (IS) militants in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo, mainly in the town of Sfaira, a key area located on the international road connecting Aleppo with the Syrian coast and the southern region, including the capital Damascus.

The Syrian army is fighting in Aleppo to secure the international road, but the IS heavy attack has so far hindered the achievement of that goal.

The military is also fighting in Aleppo to break the rebel siege on the key Koerse airbase in that province's countryside. Endit