Syrian troops killed 11 fighters of jihadist groups during clashes in the southern province of Daraa on Saturday, a monitoring group reported.
The clashes were raging in the contested Shaikh Miskin area in the countryside of Daraa province, as part of the rebels' wide- scale offensive to control that strategic area in Daraa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group that relies on a network of activists on ground.
The state news agency SANA said the Syrian forces destroyed three rebel positions in the towns of Barqah and Dali, in the vicinity of Shaikh Miskin.
SANA said that Shaikh Miskin, 22 km from Daraa, was subject to "systematic" rebel attacks due to its strategic location that links several areas in the southern region. It said tens of rebels were also killed in the town of Dair al-Adas north of Daraa.
The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and like-minded groups have been on an offensive to recapture the government-controlled areas in Daraa bordering Jordan.
The Nusra fighters attempted to attack al-Nasib border crossing between Daraa and Jordan, but have so far failed to seize control over it.
Related:
Islamic State uses extreme violence against civilians in Syria: UN report
GENEVA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN commission of inquiry on Syria said on Friday in its latest report that Islamic State used extreme violence against both civilians and captured fighters in Syria.
The report said the abuses, violations and crimes committed by Islamic State against Syrians have been deliberate and calculated. Islamic State violated its obligations toward civilians and captured fighters, amounting to war crimes, it added.Full Story
New UN report shows "relentless assault" on civilians in ISIL-controlled Syria
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- A UN report on Friday revealed shocking accounts of a rule of terror imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in its controlled areas in Syria.
The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, entitled "Rule of Terror: Living under ISIS in Syria," painted a devastating picture of war crimes committed by ISIS, also known as ISIL or Da'esh. Full Story