'18 Syrian troops killed in attack by militants'

At least 18 Syrian servicemen were killed in an attack by militants in the Syrian province of Latakia, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said on Saturday.

Illegal armed formations attacked outskirts of the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as the localities of Tall Alush in Aleppo province and Safsara in Latakia province over the past day, the center said in a statement published by the Russian Defence Ministry.

"As a result of the attack in Safsara in Latakia province, 18 Syrian servicemen were killed and one Syrian serviceman was wounded," it said, Xinhua news agency reported.

The center called on leaders of the militants in the Idlib de-escalation zone to cease hostilities and move toward a peaceful settlement.

Meanwhile, humanitarian missions were carried out during this period, with 450 food sets distributed among residents in a settlement in the Dei ez-Zor province and a ton of bread sent to a district to the south of Aleppo, it said.

The center has so far carried out a total of 1994 humanitarian actions, delivering 3124.2 tons of aid to Syrian residents.

--IANS

vc