State media says Syrian army killed 175 rebels
BEIRUT - Syrian army troops killed 175 rebels in an ambush Wednesday south of Damascus, state media reported, a major attack targeting mostly al-Qaeda-linked fighters as part of a government effort to secure the capital.
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-Qaeda-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. (AP)
