Syrian army claims killing 50 rebels near Damascus

Damascus, Nov 27 (IANS/EFE) The Syrian Army announced Thursday that it had killed at least 50 "terrorists", as it describes anti-government insurgents, in an ambush outside Damascus, the state-run Sana news agency said.

A military source quoted by the agency said the ambush took place late Wednesday when the rebels were trying to escape from the town of Mayda'a towards al-Dmayer, in eastern Ghouta, northeast of the capital.

The soldiers also destroyed several vehicles.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed that there was an ambush by the armed forces in which dozens of people were killed or injured in the area of al-Otaiba, on the road that links al-Dmayer with Mayda'a.

In recent months, Syrian authorities have stepped up their operations in eastern Ghouta, the main opposition stronghold on the outskirts of Damascus.

SOHR added that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad late Wednesday bombed the vicinity of the villages of al-Mashrifa and al-Jarajir on the border with Lebanon.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

More than 200,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in Syria in March 2011, according to the UN.

--IANS/EFE

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