Syrian army makes strides in fighting insurgents in Aleppo

DAMASCUS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian troops are closing in upon armed insurgents at a number of districts in the northern Aleppo province, the state media said Tuesday, adding that residents of the battered province flocked a main city square to demonstrate solidarity with the army.

The state-run SANA news agency said the government troops are close to fully purging the Saif al-Dawla district of Aleppo from armed insurgent groups, adding that the troops have recaptured parts of the district and are closing in to regain full control over the rest.

The army has pushed armed groups out of the al-Tal, Jadidah and Farhat square in Aleppo, and scores of "terrorists" have also been eliminated in the area, according to SANA, which also reported clashes between the government forces and armed groups in the towns of Mare'e and A'zaz, as well as near the directorate of health affairs in the Bustan al-Qasr district of Aleppo.

SANA said the Syrian army has carried out a "qualitative" operation in Aleppo's Karm Myassar district, destroying three pickup trucks equipped with machine guns and killing scores of armed men.

Meanwhile, media reports said supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad staged Tuesday a pro-government rally at the Sa'ad Allah al-Jabiri square in Aleppo.

In the suburb of the capital Damascus, the government troops stormed the rebel-held Mu'adamieh suburb, witnesses said. Meanwhile, the state media said large quantities of weapons and ammunition have been confiscated in the restive suburb.

On the opposition side, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 130 Syrians have been reported and verified as dead so far Tuesday.

It said the dead include 49 unarmed civilians, 12 rebel fighters, a defected soldier and at least 34 members of the Syrian regular forces.

There has been no independent confirmation on the activists' claim.

The clashes in Aleppo and Damascus have been raging on since last month and appear to be a "death match" between the government troops and armed rebels, who are taking pains to create a foothold on the country's soil akin to the Benghazi-like scenario in Libya. Enditem