Over 500 Terrorists Killed in Syria’s Latakia Battles

The Syrian army continues to chase armed groups in Syria’s northwestern province of Latakia.
According to Syrian sources, the clashes claimed the lives of over 500 armed militant since Friday.
“While the intense battles are still raging on in the northern countryside of Latakia, on the border with Turkey, more than 500 militants were killed, most of them were Saudis and Chechens,” al-Watan newspaper said.
It further added that the insurgents have failed to seize control of any areas that they have targeted, contrary to what they are claiming on media outlets.
The battles in the northern countryside of Latakia, namely the rugged coastal town of Kasab near the Turkish borders, have started on Friday, when large numbers of armed militant groups infiltrated the Syrian territories from the Turkish side of the borders.
Meanwhile, the al-Watan daily said the militants are staging hit- and-run attacks in Kasab without achieving any gains on ground.
The paper added that a Saudi suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden armored vehicle at the military observatory 45 site in Kasab.
In parallel, it mentioned that the blast led to the killing of Colonel Samuel Ghannum, the officer in charge of the observatory site.
Citing military sources, the paper said the troops succeeded in foiling the armed groups’ attack on the observatory and fully secured it after killing 75 of the attackers.
The Syrian artillery is also targeting the positions of the militants, destroying the rocket launchers that they are erecting on the Syrian territories, the paper added.