Names of 142 foreign fighters killed in Syria made public

DAMASCUS - A pro-government daily published on Tuesday the names of 142 foreign fighters allegedly killed in several hotspots in Syria over the past month.

Al-Watan said the Syrian government had sent the list to the UN Security Council last month, adding that it includes the names of 47 Saudis, 24 Libyans, 10 Tunisians, nine Egyptians, six Qataris, five Lebanese, 11 Afghanis, five Turks, three Chechens and two from Azerbaijan and Chad.

According to the list, cited by al-Watan, those "terrorists" had been killed in the provinces of Aleppo, Homs, Idlib, Deir al-Zour and Hasaka over the past one and a half months.

Speaking of foreign fighters, al-Watan recounted on Tuesday the course of events and fighting in the main flashpoint of Daraya in Damascus' countryside.

Quoting sources, the paper said that the armed rebels, which include thousands of foreign fighters, sent distress calls to their comrades in the eastern al-Ghota suburb to help them after the Syrian troops ringed them tightly on Monday.

The Syrian army managed to make advancements Monday after dismantling tons of explosives that had been planted to hinder the army's entry to the area, said the paper, adding that the troops inflicted hefty toll on the armed men.

It said the "terrorists" have taken shelter and stationed in residential buildings after forcing their residents to flee, noting that the army would accomplish the mission in Daraya within a few days or even hours.

In an earlier report, al-Watan said that the Syrian forces' recent tactic was to turn a blind eye to the fighters in order to have them gathered in Daraya, then surround and eliminate them once and for all. It said that those fighters have been planning to wage a big battle against the Damascus' regime forces to bring down the capital.

That report collaborated with some news circulated on some pro- government Facebook pages that said thousands of fighters had gathered in Daraya and were planning to mount an offensive on the nearby al-Mazzeh military airport to take over war jets and strike some vital points in Damascus, including the presidential palace, to later declare their control of Damascus.

The Western-backed rebels have tried several times to mount attacks on vital and security centers in Damascus in the hope of declaring a coup. But so far such attempts have been rendered flat by the government forces.

Meanwhile, the rattling sounds of shelling could be heard reverberating from Daraya to nearby district in the capital in what appeared to be a continuation of intense clashes there.