Syria fighting continues, military receives reinforcement in Aleppo

DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The clashes in Syria continued Tuesday between the government troops and the armed opposition fighters amid reports that the army has received reinforcements in the northern province of Aleppo in a bid to settle the situation there.

The state-run SANA news agency said the government troops targeted Tuesday an armed group on the airport highway at al- Ramouseh Bridge in Aleppo, killing all its members.

In a separate incident also in Aleppo, dozens of "terrorists" were killed or injured near al-Jankiyeh orchard in al-Sheikh Khudr neighborhood when they were trying to aid other gunmen in the area, said SANA.

The state news agency also reported clashes throughout the unrest-hit country and claimed that the Syrian troops killed scores of "terrorists," a term used by the government to brand the rebels.

On the opposition side, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said violent clashes have been taking place for hours in the Sleiman al-Halabi and al-Arqoub neighborhoods near the international airport of Aleppo as well as in a number of hotspots, killing at least 110 Syrians, including 66 unarmed civilians, 19 armed rebels and tens of government soldiers.

It also said the Syrian troops detained Khalil Ma'touk, one of the most prominent lawyers taking human rights cases in Syria, Tuesday morning in the capital Damascus. Ma'touk, who is also an activist, has defended many prisoners, according to the observatory.

The activists' account could not be checked independently.

Meanwhile, a well-informed source told Xinhua anonymously on Tuesday that the Syrian army has received reinforcements in Aleppo.

He said the troops managed to "isolate the countryside of Aleppo from the Turkish borders to cut off the support lines of the armed rebels on ground," adding that Aleppo city is expected to be clean of rebels soon.

The official's claim coincided with pro-government al-Watan newspaper, which said Tuesday that the shortage in the rebels' ammunition and the cut-off of their funding channels "would eventually end the ongoing war in favor of the government," citing military experts and observers.

Al-Watan said the armed men have got tired and started to flee toward their cities and villages in Aleppo and other provinces.

The Syrian troops have received reinforcements in Aleppo, the paper said, adding that "it means that they are determined to purge the remnants in Aleppo, especially in the eastern part as soon as possible."

While the focus is on Aleppo, the situation in some suburbs of Damascus saw no improvement, amid reports that the Syrian troops are aiming to purge those suburbs of armed insurgency in tandem with the operations in Aleppo. Enditem