Syrian troops kill 70 al-Qaida-linked militants

Syrian troops on Thursday killed over 70 militants from the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in the country's central province of Hama, state-run SANA news agency reported.

The militants, with armored vehicles outfitted with machine guns, were attempting to infiltrate several towns in northeastern countryside of Hama, namely the al-Rai Mountain, Ma'an, Krah, and Shateh.

The attack was the second failed attempt this week by the Nusra militants to storm government-controlled areas, after trying in vain to infiltrate Tal Eis in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo earlier in the week.

The Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) group, both designated as terrorist groups, have been excluded from an internationally-backed cessation of hostilities, which went into force in Syria in late February. Endit