Syria troops battle militants in Homs

Via : Strategic-Culture.org

The Syrian troops have carried out a series of mop-up operations in the western city of Homs, forcing foreign-backed militants out of the city’s flashpoint areas.

The Syrian armed forces destroyed a terrorist hideout and a workshop for manufacturing explosives in Jouret al-Shiyah neighborhood on Monday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

The Syrian forces also inflicted heavy losses on foreign-backed armed groups in al-Qusour, al-Khalidiye, al-Dar al-Kabireh, Tal Dahab, Teldo and Kafr Laha in Homs countryside.

On Sunday, clashes erupted between the Syrian troops and militants in the district of Qudssaya, near the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Syrian army killed a number of militants many of whom were foreign nationals, SANA stated.

Terrorist hideouts were also raided by Syrian forces in the towns of Jobar, al- Shifoniyeh, al-Rihan, Harmala, Harasta and Barzeh al-Balad.

In addition, Syrian troops stormed a terrorist hideout in the town of Zamalka, about four kilometers (2.5 miles) east of Damascus. A large amount of weapons and munitions was destroyed after the fierce gun battle.

Similar operations were carried out by the Syrian army in the towns of Daraya, al-Hejjeira and al-Dhiyabiyeh.

The Syrian army has fully purged the town of Kimam in the strategic region of al-Qusayr near the border with Lebanon.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Multiple mortars slam central Damascus, causing injuries

Source  : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Multiple mortar shells fired by Syrian armed rebels landed Sunday near the state TV's office building and Sheraton Hotel in the heart of the capital Damascus causing injuries and material damages, witnesses told Xinhua.

According to Xinhua reporter at the scene, thick clouds of smoke permeated the area and heavy security forces were deployed in the streets, cutting off all routes leading to the Umayyad Square, where the state TV's office building is located.

Witnesses told Xinhua that two mortars, allegedly launched from al-Qusour area in the south, landed in the main yard of Sheraton Hotel, where UN-Arab League Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahim is staying.

They added another mortar slammed a street close to a highway, where two cars flipped over afte they hit the sidewalk steered by startled drivers.

Meanwhile, another mortar landed in the al-Qusour area in southern Damascus, local media said.

The rebels have recently stepped up mortar attacks in an attempt to destroy major military and governmental sites in Damascus.

Meanwhile, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels bombarded the main hospital in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, which they claimed had been turned into a regular force center.

The Observatory also said five family members, including two children, were killed by the government forces' bombardment on the town of Beit Sahm near the road to the airport of Damascus.
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