Islam Times - Syria army clears Aleppo strategic district of al-Midan of insurgents

Islam Times - Damascus says the army has managed to clear Aleppo’s strategic district of al-Midan of armed groups fighting against the government.

More than a dozen insurgents were killed during the military operation to drive terrorists out of al-Midan on Monday.

There are reports of clashes between government troops and insurgents in several other Aleppo districts.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops repelled an attack by armed groups on a scientific research center in Aleppo's al-Zahra neighborhood, inflecting heavy losses on them.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists’ for the unrest while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals. Damascus also says the insurgents are supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on August 1 that the country is engaged in a “crucial and heroic” battle that will determine the destiny of the nation.