Syrian army purges Aleppo district of insurgents

 

Insurgents take position during clashes with Syrian forces in the northwestern city of Aleppo. (File photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/05/265042/syria-purges-aleppo-area-of-insurgents/

The Syrian army has fully purged the Suleiman al-Halabi district of the flashpoint city of Aleppo of foreign-backed insurgents.

Syrian security forces engaged insurgents on Thursday and killed a number of armed men, forcing them to leave the area, the official SANA news agency reported.

The army also inflicted heavy losses on insurgents in the Baedin district and destroyed seven pickup trucks equipped with Dushka machine guns in the city, located about 355 kilometers (220 miles) north of Damascus.

In addition, the Syrian forces destroyed a weapons cache in the al-Halk Square neighborhood and killed all the gunmen at the site. Syrian soldiers also raided a terrorist hideout near the Sport Institute in Bustan al-Basha district and killed dozens of insurgents in the process.

A similar mop-up operation was also carried out in the al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, where the army destroyed dozens of vehicles equipped with Dushka machine guns and killed a large number of terrorists.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.

Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence, but the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in August that the country is engaged in a “crucial and heroic” battle that will determine the destiny of the nation.