Syrian soldiers kill several militant leaders near Damascus

Clashes between Syrian forces and the foreign-backed militants also broke out at the Damascus International Airport, which has been the scene of heavy fighting for more than a week.

The Syrian army has been involved in operations to clear the areas around the capital of militants.

    Meanwhile, in the northwestern city of Idlib, heavy fighting erupted between the two sides on Saturday. Syrian troops destroyed several militant hideouts.


Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that certain Western states and their regional allies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have been trying to fuel the turmoil.

There are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals. Several international human rights organizations have accused the foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.