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Army kills 175 rebels

Published:Thursday | February 27, 2014 | 12:00 AM
This photo provided by the anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian rebels firing weapons towards Syrian government troops loyal to President Bashar Assad in Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, February 25. AP

BEIRUT (AP):

Syrian army troops killed 175 rebels in an ambush yesterday south of Damascus, state media reported, a major attack targeting mostly al-Qaida-linked fighters as part of a government effort to secure the capital.

The dawn attack by President Bashar Assad's forces in the opposition-held area of eastern Ghouta likely will push rebel groups against his rule further away from Damascus, his seat of power. The capital's suburbs have been opposition strongholds since March 2011, when the revolt against the ruling family began.

If confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest attacks by govern-ment forces against rebels in the area.

Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a field commander in the eastern Ghouta area saying most of rebels killed in the assault near Oteibah lake southeast of Damascus belonged to the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front rebel group. The report said several of those killed were foreign fighters who came to Syria from Saudi Arabia, Chechnya and Qatar to fight.