Five killed in Syrian mortar attack

At least five people, including women and children, were killed Saturday in a mortar attack launched by rebels in Syria's Aleppo city, the state media reported.

The mortar landed in the al-Hamadanyeh district in Aleppo, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, the army eliminated many "terrorists" Saturday, some of them Turkish and Afghani nationals, in a number of suburbs of the capital Damascus, namely Adra, Douma, Harasta, Jobar, Daraya, and Zabadni, media reports said.

In Daraa province, the state media said eight " terrorists" were killed by the Syrian troops.

The Syrian troops have been fighting what they call "terrorists" for almost three years.

The international community is preparing to hold the Geneva II peace conference designed to bring representatives of the government and the opposition together to work out a political solution to the protracted impasse.