Felix the Cat
12-09-2005, 10:23 AM
'Militants killed' in Syria clash (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4510482.stm)
Eight militants have been killed in a clash with security forces at a farmhouse in north-western Syria, the state news agency Sana has reported.
The agency said five of the Islamic militants were shot dead and three others blew up themselves in the incident near Maarrat al-Numan town.
The militants are said to have been members of a Sunni group.
The clash is the second between militants and security forces this week, the agency said.
"After a gun battle which lasted an hour, an explosion was heard from inside the farm, where, it emerged, three members of the... group had blown themselves up," Sana said.
"Five other members of the group were killed in the clashes. Arms, explosives belts and explosives were confiscated."
In a separate development, two men accused of being members of the Jund al-Sham militant group are reported to have died after being wounded and captured in a clash on Sunday near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria.
Sana said the men had admitted they were planning burglaries to finance their operations before their deaths.
Caches of arms and explosives connected to them were found near Aleppo and on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, it added.
Clashes between government forces and militant groups have occurred several times this year.
The US has applied diplomatic pressure on Syria to better control its borders with Iraq to stop Islamic militants crossing over to fight US forces.
Jund al-Sham - otherwise known as Soldiers of the Levant - has said it had carried out a bomb attack on the Egyptian Sinai resort of Taba in October last year which killed 34 people.
The group also sad it was responsible for a suicide bombing on a theatre in Qatar in March which killed a British teacher.
Eight militants have been killed in a clash with security forces at a farmhouse in north-western Syria, the state news agency Sana has reported.
The agency said five of the Islamic militants were shot dead and three others blew up themselves in the incident near Maarrat al-Numan town.
The militants are said to have been members of a Sunni group.
The clash is the second between militants and security forces this week, the agency said.
"After a gun battle which lasted an hour, an explosion was heard from inside the farm, where, it emerged, three members of the... group had blown themselves up," Sana said.
"Five other members of the group were killed in the clashes. Arms, explosives belts and explosives were confiscated."
In a separate development, two men accused of being members of the Jund al-Sham militant group are reported to have died after being wounded and captured in a clash on Sunday near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria.
Sana said the men had admitted they were planning burglaries to finance their operations before their deaths.
Caches of arms and explosives connected to them were found near Aleppo and on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, it added.
Clashes between government forces and militant groups have occurred several times this year.
The US has applied diplomatic pressure on Syria to better control its borders with Iraq to stop Islamic militants crossing over to fight US forces.
Jund al-Sham - otherwise known as Soldiers of the Levant - has said it had carried out a bomb attack on the Egyptian Sinai resort of Taba in October last year which killed 34 people.
The group also sad it was responsible for a suicide bombing on a theatre in Qatar in March which killed a British teacher.